COST drawdown: 14.5% below the all-time high
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is 14.5% below its all-time high, set May 19, 2026 (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 (1986).
- Below all-time high
- −14.5%
- 85.5% of ATH
- All-time high
- $1,094
- May 19, 2026
- Time below the high
- 2 mo
- since May 19, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −61.7%
- Jan 11, 1995
- Longest underwater
- 7.2 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Nov 8, 2024
- 1.7 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- Jan 8, 2026
- 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 COST, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 1991 | Jan 11, 1995 | −61.7% | 3.4 yrs | May 9, 1997 | 5.7 yrs |
| May 1, 2000 | Dec 24, 2002 | −53.4% | 2.6 yrs | Jun 29, 2007 | 7.2 yrs |
| Aug 21, 1987 | Dec 4, 1987 | −53.2% | 3 mo | Apr 4, 1991 | 3.6 yrs |
| Jul 8, 2008 | Mar 9, 2009 | −48.5% | 8 mo | Feb 8, 2011 | 2.6 yrs |
| Jul 9, 1986 | Sep 17, 1986 | −33.0% | 2 mo | Feb 26, 1987 | 8 mo |
| Jul 22, 1998 | Oct 5, 1998 | −31.8% | 2 mo | Dec 8, 1998 | 5 mo |
| Apr 7, 2022 | May 20, 2022 | −31.5% | 43 days | Dec 7, 2023 | 1.7 yrs |
| Apr 6, 1999 | Sep 20, 1999 | −28.5% | 5 mo | Dec 1, 1999 | 8 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 COST 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: COST 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 COST from its all-time high?
- COST is currently 14.5% below its all-time high, set May 19, 2026 (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 COST drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1986) took the stock 61.7% below its prior high, bottoming Jan 11, 1995. 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 — COST 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.