Which returned more over the last year, IWM or NUSC?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and NUSC +12.2%.

Which is cheaper, IWM or NUSC?

IWM is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do IWM and NUSC overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IWM and 6% of NUSC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IWM vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to NUSC's +12.2%; 20% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets: $75.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 2000 ETF, and $1.3bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF.

IWM on its own →NUSC on its own →

At a glance

+14.1%

IWM total return, 1 year

+12.2%

NUSC total return, 1 year

0.19%

IWM expense ratio

0.31%

NUSC expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IWM costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.9 points.

IWM vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IWM	NUSC
Return
Measure	IWM	NUSC
Total return, 1 year	+14.1%	+12.2%
Drawdown
Measure	IWM	NUSC
Below its high	7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026	5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	IWM	NUSC
What it tracks	Russell 2000 Index	Nuveen ESG USA Small-Cap Index
Cost and size
Measure	IWM	NUSC
Expense ratio	0.19%	0.31%
Net assets, IWM as of Oct 27, 2026 and NUSC as of Jul 31, 2026	$75.5bn	$1.3bn
Holdings
Measure	IWM	NUSC
Holdings in common	20%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	3.3%	10.2%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Dec 23, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 513 weekly returns

IWM NUSC

Return

Total return edge NUSC (slight) +128.9% +139.1%

Annualized edge NUSC (slight) +8.8% +9.2%

Price return edge IWM (slight) +102.7% +100.1%

Risk

Volatility edge NUSC (slight) 22.7% 21.6%

Max drawdown edge Tie −40.2% −40.5%

Downside capture 100.5% 103.0%

Beta 1.01 1.07

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge NUSC (slight) 0.37 0.40

Sortino edge NUSC (slight) 0.53 0.57

Treynor 0.106 0.081

Calmar edge NUSC (slight) 0.22 0.23

Against the benchmark

Alpha −0.1% a year −4.5% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.36 −1.33

Information ratio −0.02 −0.34

Tracking error 1.0% 10.5%

Each against its own benchmark: IWM against VTWO, Oct 1, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026; NUSC against MLRG, Dec 23, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

NUSC returned slightly more: +139.1% to +128.9%. NUSC swung slightly less: 21.6% to 22.7%. IWM and NUSC fell about the same at their worst: −40.2% and −40.5%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IWM vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IWM	NUSC	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+128.9%	+139.1%	NUSC (slight)	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+8.8%	+9.2%	NUSC (slight)	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+102.7%	+100.1%	IWM (slight)	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	22.7%	21.6%	NUSC (slight)	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	15.9%	15.1%	NUSC (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−40.2%	−40.5%	Tie	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	101.0%	93.6%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	100.5%	103.0%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	1.01	1.07	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	1.00	0.77	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.37	0.40	NUSC (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.53	0.57	NUSC (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.106	0.081		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.22	0.23	NUSC (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	VTWO	MLRG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−0.1% a year	−4.5% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.36	−1.33	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−0.6% to +0.4%	−11.0% to +2.1%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.02	−0.34		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	1.0%	10.5%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 513 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

20%

By the books each fund has filed, IWM and NUSC hold 20% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

20% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IWM NUSC

JFROG 0.37% 0.40%

GLAUKOS 0.35% 0.47%

MOOG INC CLASS A 0.34% 0.62%

BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC 0.29% 0.32%

INTERDIGITAL INC 0.29% 0.59%

JACKSON FINANCIAL CLASS A 0.29% 0.58%

CYTOKINETICS 0.28% 0.64%

HEALTHEQUITY 0.28% 0.48%

ALKERMES 0.25% 0.58%

SILICON LABORATORIES 0.25% 0.54%

COMMERCIAL METALS 0.24% 0.57%

COMMVAULT SYSTEMS 0.24% 0.39%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IWM

TWIST BIOSCIENCE 0.35%

UMB FINANCIAL 0.33%

SM ENERGY 0.32%

10X GENOMICS CLASS A 0.31%

RYMAN HOSPITALITY PROPERTIES REIT 0.30%

VIASAT INC 0.30%

CARETRUST REIT 0.29%

OLD NATIONAL BANCORP 0.29%

Only in NUSC

ATI Inc 1.26%

TD SYNNEX Corp 1.08%

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc 1.07%

Viatris Inc 1.07%

nVent Electric PLC 1.06%

East West Bancorp Inc 1.04%

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd 0.96%

AGNC Investment Corp 0.90%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IWM iShares Russell 2000 ETF NUSC Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer iShares Nuveen

What it is Tracks the Russell 2000 Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year +14.1% +12.2%

Its benchmark over the same days +14.3% (VTWO) +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs VTWO −1.4 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.19% 0.31%

Already in the S&P 500 0.0% 6.1%

Holdings 1977 405

Net assets, IWM as of Oct 27, 2026 and NUSC as of Jul 31, 2026 $75.5bn $1.3bn

IWM and NUSC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-FCFBA84702

IWM and NUSC are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and NUSC follows Nuveen ESG USA Small-Cap Index.
Holdings in common. 20% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
Number of holdings. IWM holds 1,977 positions and NUSC holds 405.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

IWM

IWM tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,977 positions, with the top ten at 3.3%. It sat 7.6% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

NUSC

NUSC tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.31% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 6% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 405 positions, with the top ten at 10.2%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IWM or NUSC?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and NUSC +12.2%.
Which is cheaper, IWM or NUSC?: IWM is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do IWM and NUSC overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IWM and 6% of NUSC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

IWM vs VIOG BBMC vs IWM ESML vs IWM IWM vs PSC NUSC vs SPSM FESM vs NUSC NUSC vs XSMO AVSC vs NUSC

Where to next

IWM on its own →NUSC on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →IWM dividend history →IWM holdings →NUSC dividend history →NUSC holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

IWM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IWM prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IWM ↗

NUSC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

NUSC prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Nuveen website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, IWM against NUSC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-nusc

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