AES drawdown: 79.0% below the all-time high
The AES Corporation (AES) is 79.0% below its all-time high, set Oct 2, 2000 (as of market close, Jul 24, 2026). The chart shows every day as a percentage of the highest level reached up to that point: 100% means a fresh record, everything below is a drawdown. "All-time" means since our price data begins (1991).
- Below all-time high
- −79.0%
- 21.0% of ATH
- All-time high
- $70.63
- Oct 2, 2000
- Time below the high
- 25.8 yrs
- since Oct 2, 2000
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −98.7%
- Oct 16, 2002
- Longest underwater
- 25.8 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Jan 31, 1997
- 29.5 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- never before
- no prior −79.0% episode
% of all-time high since 1991#
The classic underwater chart (drawdown curve), drawn as % of the all-time high — 100% is a fresh record, everything below it is time spent underwater.
% of all-time high on the price basis — the all-time high considers the full history of AES, including years before the visible window. Dividends are excluded on this basis (the convention headlines use).
The deepest drawdowns on record#
Every decline of 15% or more from an all-time high (price basis), deepest first.
| Peak | Trough | Depth | Peak → trough | Recovered by | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2000 | Oct 16, 2002 | −98.7% | 2.0 yrs | not yet | 25.8 yrs+ |
| Apr 22, 1998 | Sep 4, 1998 | −58.0% | 4 mo | Jun 23, 1999 | 14 mo |
| Mar 30, 1992 | Jun 23, 1992 | −54.7% | 3 mo | Feb 28, 1996 | 3.9 yrs |
| Oct 2, 1997 | Dec 1, 1997 | −24.8% | 2 mo | Mar 12, 1998 | 5 mo |
| Sep 10, 1999 | Oct 15, 1999 | −22.8% | 35 days | Dec 20, 1999 | 3 mo |
| Feb 16, 2000 | Mar 14, 2000 | −18.5% | 27 days | Apr 28, 2000 | 2 mo |
| Apr 28, 2000 | May 10, 2000 | −18.1% | 12 days | Jun 2, 2000 | 35 days |
| Feb 19, 1997 | Apr 1, 1997 | −17.7% | 41 days | May 5, 1997 | 2 mo |
Price basis (no dividends) — the convention crash histories use. With dividends reinvested, recoveries arrive years earlier; switch the basis on the chart above to see it.
Drawdown vs what came next#
One dot per month since 1991: how far AES stood below its all-time high, and the total return over the following 1, 5 and 10 years.
Read this with survivorship bias in mind: AES is on this chart precisely because it survived — the many stocks that fell this far and never recovered (or were delisted) aren't on anyone's chart, so past recoveries here say little about the odds ahead. Monthly windows also overlap heavily (they are not independent samples). Not investment advice.
FAQ
- How far is AES from its all-time high?
- AES is currently 79.0% below its all-time high, set Oct 2, 2000 (as of market close, Jul 24, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest AES drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1991) took the stock 98.7% below its prior high, bottoming Oct 16, 2002. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1991 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — AES may have traded earlier. For a 150-year index drawdown record see the S&P 500 drawdown page. The price basis excludes dividends; the total-return basis reinvests them; the real basis additionally deflates by CPI. See also returns by year, 150 years of returns and the rolling-returns explorer. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.