The small cap-focused Russell 2000index has spent years lagging behind the larger S&P 500and Nasdaq 100indexes, but in third-quarter 2025 it took a big leap back to parity with large caps.
Thanks to interest-rate-cut bets and optimism across U.S. equities, the index clawed its way out of a hole created by President Trump's April reciprocal tariff tumult. Not only that, but in Q3 it notched its first all-time high since November 2021.
And with more rate cuts potentially on the horizon, the index could be heading higher, with nearly 60% of the index trading above its 200-day moving average.
However, there are components of the index that are doing one better. Or, in the case of the index's top-performer this quarter, 538% better. Which are the small-cap names making the big strides?
We explored, using data from Barchart:
Russell 2000: Q3 Best Performers
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Mercurity Fintech HoldingMFH (+538.44% over past 3 months)
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Better Home & Finance HoldingsBETR (+353%)
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Kodiak SciencesKOD (+338.87%)
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Korro BioKRRO (+283.43%)
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CelcuityCELC (+270.04%)
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Bloom EnergyBE (+253.55%)
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American Battery TechnologyABAT (+200%)
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Tourmaline BioTRML (+199.12%)
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Anywhere Real EstateHOUS (+192.54%)
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Niocorp DevelopmentsNB (+186.70%)
Zooming out, we see a handful of equities in the index that added to their year-to-date strides. Many of those names still saw impressive growth in the quarter, but deserve their own list:
Russell 2000: YTD Best Performers
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Oncology InstituteTOI (+1,029.45% year-to-date)
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ThredupTDUP (+579.86%)
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Better Home & Finance HoldingsBETR (+529.37%)
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OkloOKLO (+425.81%)
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Palvella TherapeuticsPVLA (+422.42%)
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Centrus EnergyLEU (+365.50%)
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LightbridgeLTBR (+348.41%)
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Niocorp DevelopmentsNB (+330.97%)
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OptimizerxOPRX (+321.81%)
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Arena Group HoldingAREN (+308.21%)
Disclaimer
The Arena Group Holding AREN is the parent of TheStreet. Its inclusion in this list is simply informative and purely measures its stock performance relative to other holdings in the Russell 2000 index. Its inclusion does not constitute an endorsement of the stock or any other equity for that matter.
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Oct 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Stock Market News & Data section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
