Drawdown Recovery Calculator
Losses and the gains needed to undo them are not symmetric. A 20% drawdown does not need a 20% gain to get back to even - it needs 25%, because you are now growing a smaller balance. This Drawdown Recovery Calculator shows the exact percentage gain required to recover any drawdown, and how much equity is left after the loss.
It is a fixed arithmetic relationship, so the result is simply maths, not a market prediction. Use it to understand why protecting capital matters: the deeper the hole, the disproportionately larger the climb back out.
How to use it
- Drawdown - the percentage your account has fallen from its previous balance.
- Balance before drawdown - optional; enter it to see the loss and required recovery in money terms.
The calculator divides the drawdown by the equity remaining (100 − drawdown) to find the gain needed to return to the original balance, and shows the remaining equity after the loss.
FAQ
Why does a 50% loss need a 100% gain?
After losing half, you only have half the balance left, so you must double what remains to get back to where you started - a 100% gain on the reduced amount.
Is the recovery percentage always larger than the drawdown?
Yes, for any drawdown above zero. The gap widens sharply as drawdowns deepen, which is the core argument for capping losses.
Does this account for fees or time?
No. It is the pure mathematical relationship between a loss and the gain needed to reverse it; costs and the time to recover are separate considerations.
Can I use this for any account?
Yes - the relationship is the same for any account size, which is why the money input is optional.
Is my data stored?
No. It runs entirely in your browser.
See also the free trading tools hub and please read our risk disclosure.