BCS drawdown: 51.2% below the all-time high
Barclays PLC (BCS) is 51.2% below its all-time high, set Feb 23, 2007 (as of market close, Aug 13, 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 (1986).
- Below all-time high
- −51.2%
- 48.8% of ATH
- All-time high
- $57.57
- Feb 23, 2007
- Time below the high
- 19.5 yrs
- since Feb 23, 2007
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −95.1%
- Jan 23, 2009
- Longest underwater
- 19.5 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Feb 2, 1998
- 28.5 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- Oct 6, 1998
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1986#
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 BCS, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2007 | Jan 23, 2009 | −95.1% | 1.9 yrs | not yet | 19.5 yrs+ |
| Feb 4, 1998 | Oct 5, 1998 | −53.5% | 8 mo | Apr 23, 1999 | 15 mo |
| May 17, 2002 | Mar 12, 2003 | −44.0% | 10 mo | Jan 5, 2004 | 1.6 yrs |
| Mar 14, 1991 | Oct 19, 1992 | −43.4% | 1.6 yrs | Dec 1, 1993 | 2.7 yrs |
| Jul 16, 1987 | Sep 12, 1988 | −37.4% | 14 mo | Jul 18, 1990 | 3.0 yrs |
| Feb 14, 2001 | Sep 21, 2001 | −34.8% | 7 mo | Apr 24, 2002 | 14 mo |
| Apr 26, 1999 | Jul 26, 2000 | −29.8% | 15 mo | Jan 4, 2001 | 1.7 yrs |
| Jul 18, 1990 | Sep 24, 1990 | −27.5% | 2 mo | Nov 26, 1990 | 4 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 1986: how far BCS 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: BCS 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 BCS from its all-time high?
- BCS is currently 51.2% below its all-time high, set Feb 23, 2007 (as of market close, Aug 13, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest BCS drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1986) took the stock 95.1% below its prior high, bottoming Jan 23, 2009. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1986 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — BCS 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.