Maximum Drawdown

The largest peak-to-trough loss observed over a measurement period. Expressed as a percentage.

Maximum Drawdown — The largest peak-to-trough loss observed over a measurement period. Expressed as a percentage.

Key facts

Category
Risk
Definition
The largest peak-to-trough loss observed over a measurement period. Expressed as a percentage.
Live example
/research/stock/ARKK
Last updated
2026-06-17

Worked example

A stock that went from $100 to $200 to $80 has a max drawdown of -60% (from the $200 peak to the $80 trough).

How IndexAlpha uses Maximum Drawdown

3-year and 5-year max drawdown shown on the Risk card. The single most intuitive risk measure — investors emotionally relate to '50% drop' more than VaR percentages.

See it live

The Maximum Drawdown metric shows up on every IndexAlpha research page. See it now on ARKK — or research any stock to view its Maximum Drawdown.

Related terms

Common questions

What is Maximum Drawdown?

The largest peak-to-trough loss observed over a measurement period. Expressed as a percentage.

How does IndexAlpha use Maximum Drawdown?

3-year and 5-year max drawdown shown on the Risk card. The single most intuitive risk measure — investors emotionally relate to '50% drop' more than VaR percentages.

Sources