I Predicted This ETF Would Soar in 2025 -- It Didn't, But Here's Why I'm Still a Buyer in 2026

2026-01-29 12:04:00 ET

As 2025 got underway, I wrote an article referring to the Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (NASDAQ: VTWO) as one of the best investments for 2025 and beyond. At the time, the benchmark small-cap index was approaching correction territory, due to market turbulence that hit smaller companies hard.

Well, the ETF delivered a total return of about 13% for the year, so it's not as if this was a disastrous call by any means. But my prediction was that the Russell 2000 would handily outperform the S&P 500, and that didn't happen last year, with the continued AI surge fueling an 18% return in the large-cap benchmark.

Image source: Getty Images.

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