Founded in 1984, the Russel 2000 Index, or the US Small Cap Index consists of 2,000 of the bottom stocks from the Russel 3000 index. The Russel 2000 is managed by FTSE Russel, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group. While the S&P 500 is primarily used for the large-cap stocks, the Russel index is considered the most common benchmark for small-cap mutual funds. It serves as a measure of performance for mid- and small-cap company shares. The Russel 2000 index represents approximately 8% of the overall market capitalisation of the Russel 3000 index, with the largest company in the index having a $9.3 billion market cap.