Whether you are estimating on the spot or checking a result somebody else gave you, the maximum drawdown calculator is the quickest way to get from lowest value after peak, time needed for recovery and peak value to annual growth rate and maximum drawdown.
What Is the Maximum Drawdown Calculator?
The maximum drawdown calculator takes lowest value after peak, time needed for recovery and peak value and turns them into annual growth rate and maximum drawdown.
It is the kind of calculation you would otherwise do on the back of an envelope: mechanical, repeatable and easy to get subtly wrong without noticing.
How the Maximum Drawdown Figure Is Built
Each result is calculated from the ones before it, so the working is fully visible. That matters when the answer is going to be quoted to somebody else and you need to be able to explain where it came from.
The figures are exactly as good as the assumptions underneath them. Check the rates, the periods and the tax treatment before you rely on the result.
Reading the Result Sensibly
A small change in an input can move the result by much more than you would expect, particularly where the calculation divides by one of the figures you supplied. That is worth understanding before you rely on a figure.
For anything that will be committed to, write the inputs down beside the result. A number you can reproduce is worth far more than one you cannot explain.
A Worked Example
Working through an example, with lowest value after peak set to 10, time needed for recovery set to 5, peak value set to 2, the calculator returns maximum drawdown of 4, and annual growth rate of -0.28. Substitute your own figures and the same steps produce the same kind of answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to work out annual growth rate?
Enter lowest value after peak, time needed for recovery and peak value. The calculator then works through the relationship and reports annual growth rate and maximum drawdown.
What does the maximum drawdown actually calculate?
It takes lowest value after peak, time needed for recovery and peak value and converts them into annual growth rate and maximum drawdown using the standard relationship for this problem. Each step is applied in turn, so every output is traceable back to the numbers you typed in.
How should I enter lowest value after peak?
Use the value you actually have, in the unit shown next to the field. Enter every value in the same unit system. The calculator assumes the figures you supply are consistent, so it cannot correct a mistake that happens before the calculation starts.
Does anything you type get stored?
No. The whole calculation runs inside your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded, logged or sent anywhere.
Why does a small change in one value move the answer so much?
That happens when an output depends on a ratio, because dividing by a small number magnifies any change in it. Check the units first, then check whether the value you entered is in the range the relationship was designed for.