2010 Earnings Forecast by Market Cap

IETF investors who are looking for clues as to what 2010 holds for index funds like the iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index (IJR), the iShares S&P MidCap 400 Index (IJH), and the iShares S&P 500 Index (IVV) take note... Standard & Poor's has just unveiled their lates outlooks and histories on the underlying earnings for each index.

Compared to 2009, small caps look like the most compelling place to be. Before anyone rushes out to buy the iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Index fund though, ask yourself this.... can the group actually double its 2010 results and return to 2007's profitability?

The other two ETFs may be a little more palatable in terms of plausibility, at the expense of a potential upside... a reasonable trade-off for the bigger/safer names you'll find with the iShares S&P MidCap 400 Index and the iShares S&P 500 Index funds.