Skip to Content

Big news:Composer has joined SoFi!Read the blog post

IWM vs. SPY

iShares Russell 2000 ETF

IWM
$
Today’s Change
()
vs

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

SPY
$
Today’s Change
()

Correlation

0.96
1M
3M
6M
YTD
1Y
3Y
Max

Performance Measures**

for the time period May 26, 2000 to Jul 21, 2026

Returns

1M Trailing Return:

3M Trailing Return:

IWM

-0.6%

8.3%

SPY

0.5%

6.6%

Diff.

-1.1%

+1.7%

Measures of Risk or Volatility

Max Drawdown:

Standard Deviation:

IWM

-59.0%

23.9%

SPY

-55.2%

19.1%

Diff.

-3.8%

+4.8%

Measures of Risk-Adjusted Performance

Sharpe Ratio:

Calmar Ratio:

IWM

0.47

0.15

SPY

0.53

0.16

Diff.

-0.06

-0.01

IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETF
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

What is IWM?

The iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance before fees and expenses of the small capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market as represented by the Russell 2000 Index. The index represents the approximately 2000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index.

Snapshot
**

IWM iShares Russell 2000 ETF
SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Inception date
May 22, 2000
Jan 22, 1993
Expense ratio
0.19%
0.09%
IWM has a higher expense ratio than SPY by 0.1%. This can indicate that it’s more expensive to invest in IWM than SPY.
Type
US Equities
US Equities
IWM targets investing in US Equities, while SPY targets investing in US Equities.
Fund owner
Blackrock (iShares)
State Street (SPDR)
IWM is managed by Blackrock (iShares), while SPY is managed by State Street (SPDR).
Volume (1m avg. daily)
$4,463,198,665
$33,257,618,740
Both IWM and SPY are considered high-volume assets. They’re less likely to be affected by issues like slippage and failed orders on Composer than low-volume assets.
AUM
$50,549,436,527
$400,404,126,565
IWM has more assets under management than SPY by $349,854,690,038. Higher AUM can be associated with better liquidity and lower slippage in trading.
Associated index
Russell 2000 Index
S&P 500 Index
IWM is based off of the Russell 2000 Index, while SPY is based off of the S&P 500 Index
Inverse/Leveraged
No
No
Neither IWM nor SPY use an inverse or leveraged strategy.
Passive/Active
Passive
Passive
IWM and SPY both use a Passive investing strategy. In an actively managed fund, the fund manager makes decisions about how funds are invested. A passively managed fund typically tries to track or follow a market index.
Dividend
No
No
IWM and SPY may offer dividends. The frequency and yield of the dividend may not be the same.
Prospectus
SPY may issue a K1, while IWM does not. You can find non-K1 alternatives for SPY in its “Related ETFs” section.
IWM and SPY’s Correlation
When ETFs are correlated, there are 3 main topics to analyze that will help you build your automated trading strategy: liquidity, expense, and risk.
  • Liquidity: In an active trading strategy (trading multiple time per week), it’s important to consider the liquidity of the ETF you’re using. Lower liquidity can mean more money lost in slippage. AUM and average daily volume are both indicators of liquidity.
  • Expense: Some ETFs are more expensive to use than others. For strategies that are focused on longer holding periods, it’s important to factor in how expensive it is to hold this ETF. Expense ratio is the main indicator of how expensive an ETF is.
  • Risk: Some ETFs will be highly correlated, but have varying degrees of returns, due to leverage. It’s important to consider if an ETF is using leverage or not. The main indicators of a riskier ETF will be the use of leverage and higher standard deviation or max drawdown in a backtest.

Trading Strategies
Related toIWM

Modified Foreign Rat

Category

Tactical allocation, volatility regimes, leveraged ETFs, trend and mean reversion, defensive hedges, Nasdaq 100, emerging markets

OOS Cumulative Return

494.35%

Trading Strategies
Related toSPY

Inverse of [DEV] ☢️ Beta Baller v0.21 - $Deez | OCT22

Category

Tactical, daily rebalance, momentum + mean-reversion, volatility (VIX), leveraged ETFs, semiconductors, regime filter, cash/treasuries

OOS Cumulative Return

1799.2%

Create your own algorithmic
trading strategy

Disclaimers

*

We show information directly obtained from our data provider, Xignite. Data shown here is provided by Xignite, an unaffiliated third party. Composer believes the information shown here is reliable, but has not been verified and there is no guarantee that the information is accurate.

**

We show information based on calculations performed by Composer using data from our provider. Information provided here is based on calculations performed by Composer using data sourced from Xignite, an unaffiliated third party. Composer believes this information is reliable, but has not verified the data and there is no guarantee that the calculations are accurate.

Securities products and brokerage services are offered by Composer Securities LLC, a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and member of FINRA / SIPC. Composer Securities LLC and Composer Technologies Inc. are separate but affiliated companies. Accounts are carried and securities execution, clearance and settlement services are provided by Alpaca Securities LLC, and Apex Clearing Corporation, SEC-registered broker-dealers and members of FINRA / SIPC. Alpaca Securities is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AlpacaDB, Inc. Apex Clearing Corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apex Fintech Solutions Inc. Check the background of Composer Securities LLC, Alpaca Securities LLC, and Apex Clearing Corporation on FINRA BrokerCheck . This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities or open a brokerage account in any jurisdiction where Composer Securities is not registered. Securities products offered by Composer Securities are not FDIC insured

With any investment, your capital is at risk. The value of your portfolio with Composer can go down as well as up. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. By using this website, you accept our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Payment Agreement.

Please see Composer Securities' Customer Relationship Summary.

Keep in mind, investing involves risk. Examples are for illustrative purposes and are not a recommendation, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Online trading has inherent risk due to system response, execution price, speed, liquidity, market data and access times that may vary due to market conditions, system performance, market volatility, size and type of order and other factors. An investor should understand these and additional risks before trading.

Options trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option with Composer Securities LLC, please read the "Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options," also known as the Options Disclosure Document (ODD). You can access the ODD by clicking here. Options transactions are often complex and can expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. In some cases, you may lose your entire investment in a relatively short period. Furthermore, certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed your original investment amount.

Please read important legal disclosures.

Composer Securities does not provide tax advice. This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for consultation with a qualified tax professional before making any investment decisions.

The cash sweep program is made available in coordination with Apex Clearing Corporation through Composer Securities. Please read the Important Disclosures for more information.

Composer Securities is a member of SIPC, which protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash). Explanatory brochure available upon request or at www.sipc.org. SIPC does not protect against market losses.

Securities products are: Not FDIC insured · Not bank guaranteed · May lose value

Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners and do not represent endorsements of any kind. Unless otherwise noted, Composer Technologies Inc., Composer Securities LLC, and its affiliates are not partners, affiliates, or licensees of these companies.

Market data refreshed at least every 15 minutes unless otherwise indicated. Market data provided by Xignite.

© 2026 All rights reserved.