US completion index returns

The growing proliferation of indices from index providers, along with a corresponding growing number of index funds and ETFs, creates a number of issues for investors, since the index returns of the different providers result in a dispersion (variation) of both yearly and multi-period returns. Dispersion of returns is not as considerable an issue with Total Market indexes, but as we go into style and smaller size indices, the dispersion (variation) of return increases.

These return differences are mainly due to the differing methodologies index providers utilize in constructing their indices. Different benchmarks cover varying ranges of stocks, have different selection criteria for growth versus value, and are even maintained and rebalanced differently.

Each index provider's suite of index funds occupies the following segment of the Index Strategy Box:



Completion index returns
The completion indexes contain all the stocks in the corresponding total market index except those in the S&P 500 index. They have more style and size differences, and thus more dispersion, than the total market indexes because the eliminated stocks are common to all total market indexes.


 * Indexes listed above are: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Completion Index; Russell Small Cap Completeness Index; S&P Completion Index; Wilshire 4500 Index

Methodologies

 * Dow Jones
 * Standard and Poor's US Indices Methodology
 * Wilshire 5000
 * Wilshire 4500 Completion

Data sources
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Dow Jones Indexes

 * TSP S Fund 2009 Factsheet 2009
 * Dow Jones Indexes access to current factsheet

Russell

 * Russell Index Returns Calculator 2000 forward

S&P

 * Vanguard benchmarks 2006 forward

Wilshire

 * Wilshire Returns Calculator 1984 forward
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