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I had to check this out as far as being an index. The benchmark is the Spliced Small Cap Index. That's a new one on me.
In the case of small caps, would a managed fund be better suited than a index fund? I'm thinking on those lines because a small cap investor would want to be more nimble. I'm just throwing this out there.
Correct-a-mundo. But it's in a 403b. There were other small-cap choices available, maybe. I forget. (Wife's thing.) Anyhow, it's a tiny percentage, less than 1% of our total portf. now. And the ER can't be beat. That entire holding is 100% contributed by the employer. We've not put in a single nickel. ....My own small-cap selection is MSCFX, and that's 2.44% of portfolio. I took big profits in January, from 2013's great run-up and stashed it in its sister-fund, MAPOX-----a bit over 9% of portf. It is a balanced fund, together with my PRWCX. (18.7% of portf.)
The "spliced index" seems to mean that Vanguard has changed index providers over time and they've attempted to aggregate the returns of the combined indexes (one index's return in 2005 is married to the next index's return in 2006 ...).
Here's the official word:
**Russell 2000 Index through May 16, 2003; MSCI US Small Cap 1750 Index through January 30, 2013; CRSP US Small Cap Index thereafter.
The index's homepage describes it as covering the bottom 2 - 15% of the investable universe with an average cap in the $1.4 - 1.9 billion range. The fund sits at about $2.7 billion, essentially average for a small-blend fund.
$2.7 Billion average market cap of this fund, with 41% of the stocks Midcap, and only 9% microcap stocks.
Compare that to what we more typically think of as small cap, the Russell 2000. There is an exchange traded fund that uses the Russell 2000 as its index:
iShares Russell 2000 IWM
This iShares fund has only 9.97% midcap stocks, 60% small cap, and 30% microcap. It holds, as expected, 2000 stocks.
Average market cap: 1.48 Billion
Doesn't seem like the Vanguard Small Cap Index fund captures the true spirit of what we think of as small cap.
Comments
In the case of small caps, would a managed fund be better suited than a index fund? I'm thinking on those lines because a small cap investor would want to be more nimble. I'm just throwing this out there.
Anyway mid caps have done well too so you have the best of both worlds.
Here's the official word:
**Russell 2000 Index through May 16, 2003; MSCI US Small Cap 1750 Index through January 30, 2013; CRSP US Small Cap Index thereafter.
The index's homepage describes it as covering the bottom 2 - 15% of the investable universe with an average cap in the $1.4 - 1.9 billion range. The fund sits at about $2.7 billion, essentially average for a small-blend fund.
For what interest that holds,
David
Compare that to what we more typically think of as small cap, the Russell 2000. There is an exchange traded fund that uses the Russell 2000 as its index:
iShares Russell 2000 IWM
This iShares fund has only 9.97% midcap stocks, 60% small cap, and 30% microcap.
It holds, as expected, 2000 stocks.
Average market cap: 1.48 Billion
Doesn't seem like the Vanguard Small Cap Index fund captures the true spirit of what we think of as small cap.