# iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund (MDSKX): Mutual Fund Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/mdskx for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: BlackRock · Asset class: Equity - Strategy: Passive Index · Inception: 1997-04-09 This fund functions as a feeder fund, allocating all its capital to a designated Series within the Master LLC, which shares identical investment objectives and strategies with the fund itself. Its portfolio will primarily comprise securities found in the Russell 2000 index. Under ordinary market conditions, a minimum of 80% of its assets will be invested in either direct components of the Russell 2000 or financial instruments exhibiting comparable economic characteristics to those in the index. ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $30.03 | | Expense Ratio | 0.37% | | Assets Under Management | $3.80B | | NAV | $30.03 | | Holdings Count | 0 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 2.65% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $0.79 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Semi-Annual | | 52-Week Range | $25.47 – $33.13 | | Beta | 1.26 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.0455 /share - Ex-date: 2026-07-22 - Pay date: 2026-07-23 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does MDSKX invest in? This fund functions as a feeder fund, allocating all its capital to a designated Series within the Master LLC, which shares identical investment objectives and strategies with the fund itself. Its portfolio will primarily comprise securities found in the Russell 2000 index. Under ordinary market conditions, a minimum of 80% of its assets will be invested in either direct components of the Russell 2000 or financial instruments exhibiting comparable economic characteristics to those in the index. ### What is the expense ratio of MDSKX? iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund (MDSKX) charges an expense ratio of 0.37%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### How big is MDSKX? iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund (MDSKX) manages $3.80B in total assets. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation. ### Is MDSKX actively managed or an index fund? MDSKX is a passive index fund. It tracks a published benchmark by holding the constituents in their published weights. Index funds typically charge low expense ratios (MDSKX's is 0.37%) because there's no security selection cost. ### When was MDSKX launched? iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund (MDSKX) launched in April 1997 and is managed by BlackRock. ### How has MDSKX performed? MDSKX's total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is charted at the top of this page. Switch the price chart to Total Return and pick a 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year window to read the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over each horizon. ### Does MDSKX pay a dividend? iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund (MDSKX) currently distributes little or no income. Trailing-twelve-month yield is 2.65%. Investors looking for income should consider income-focused alternatives. See the Peers tab. ### How often does MDSKX pay dividends? iShares Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index Fund pays dividends Semi-Annual. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### What is MDSKX's dividend yield? MDSKX's trailing-twelve-month yield is 2.65%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### When is MDSKX's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for MDSKX was 2026-07-22. The next ex-date typically follows Semi-Annual; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will MDSKX's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.37% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does MDSKX charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from MDSKX's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does MDSKX cost more than a fund like VOO? MDSKX is a passive index fund (current expense ratio 0.37%). Differences from broad-market ETFs like VOO usually come from index licensing fees, asset class (bond funds typically run cheaper than equity), or fund scale (smaller funds spread fixed operating costs across less AUM). ### Are there cheaper alternatives to MDSKX? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists mutual funds following the same investment strategy as MDSKX (0.37%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/mdskx - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/mdskx/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/mdskx/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/mdskx/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/mdskx/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.