Drawdown calculator

    How deep the decline from the peak actually is

    Enter a peak value and a trough value to get the drawdown in percent and dollars, plus the gain required to recover it.

    Drawdown
    30.00%
    Dollars lost
    $36,000
    Gain needed back
    42.86%

    What the inputs mean

    Peak value
    Highest value reached.
    Trough value
    Lowest value after that peak.

    Formula

    drawdown = (peak − trough) ÷ peak

    Worked example

    Peak $120,000, trough $84,00030% drawdown, 42.86% needed back.

    Questions people ask

    Is drawdown measured on closing values?

    Either convention works as long as it is consistent. Closing values are the common choice because intraday extremes are rarely tradeable.

    Limitations

    Every result here is arithmetic on the numbers you enter. It carries no view on any specific security, assumes returns are steady when real returns are not, and ignores taxes, slippage and commissions. Use it to size and sanity-check, not to forecast.

    Now run it on a real ticker

    Score any name free, then bring the number back here.

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    Autonium publishes research, not recommendations. Scores, factors and written reads describe historical and current data and are not buy or sell advice. Not financial advice. Market data is refreshed on a schedule and may lag. See our methodology and disclosures.