ProShares Russell 2000 High Income ETF

ITWO

Market cap $201M

Right now, advisors are facing a massive generation of clients trying to navigate retirement. That's challenging enough, but with inflation and the cost of living rising, assuaging those clients' concerns and delivering for them has become much trickier.

The ETF landscape includes plenty of exciting ETFs. Not all, however, can claim to combine high current income and outperformance.

ProShares Russell 2000 High Income ETF offers Russell 2000 exposure with a dynamic daily covered call strategy, balancing premium income and upside participation. The fund's volatility-managed approach adjusts call strikes based on market conditions, mitigating exercise risk during volatility spikes. Since launch, ITWO has matched Russell 2000 returns and outperformed IWM on a risk-adjusted basis, with a Sharpe ratio of 0.85 versus 0.79.

ProShares Russell 2000 ETF offers efficient exposure to the Russell 2000 Index, capitalizing on small-cap volatility. ITWO's appeal lies in targeting small-cap companies with potential for outsized earnings growth, despite historical underperformance versus large-cap indices. Russell 2000 ETFs like ITWO face performance drag due to inclusion of numerous underperformers within the index.

Investors have plenty of reasons to celebrate the covered call ETF boom. Covered call strategies have offered new ways to add income to portfolios.

In a recent ProShares webcast, Global Investment Strategist Simeon Hyman and Director of Investment Strategy Kieran Kirwan zeroed in on a persistent frustration for income-focused investors: why traditional covered call strategies tend to fall behind when markets rebound.

Small-cap stocks have gained roughly 21% over the past year despite a choppy start to 2026.

ProShares Russell 2000 High Income ETF (ITWO) offers direct small-cap exposure paired with 0DTE covered calls to provide investors growth and income. ITWO outperformed peer covered call strategies over the past year, benefiting from its 0DTE approach and direct equity investment. Small-cap outperformance is expected in 2026 due to potential rate cuts, sector rotation, and industrials growth themes.

ProShares Russell 2000 High Income ETF is upgraded to a buy, reflecting improved outlook amid sector rotation and favorable small-cap dynamics. ITWO's daily 0DTE covered call strategy, direct equity ownership, and OTM options provide efficient income generation with lower risk than high-yielding peers. Dividend yield exceeds 11%, but payouts are variable and sensitive to market conditions, making ITWO best suited for opportunistic rather than income-dependent investors.

If you have a long-term focus and you also want high yields, it's a good idea to look into the ProShares Russell 2000 High Income ETF (BATS:ITWO), iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond BuyWrite Strat ETF (BATS:TLTW), and Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (NYSE:MDST).