McDonald's Corporation drawdown: 26.0% below the all-time high
McDonald's Corporation is 26.0% below its all-time high, set Feb 27, 2026 (as of market close, Sep 11, 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.
- Below all-time high
- −26.0%
- 74.0% of ATH
- All-time high
- $341.06
- Feb 27, 2026
- Time below the high
- 6 mo
- since Feb 27, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −74.4%
- Mar 12, 2003
- Longest underwater
- 9.5 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Nov 4, 2021
- 4.9 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- Apr 3, 2020
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1970#
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. Basis and range are in the URL, so a particular view is a link.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 12, 1999 | Mar 12, 2003 | −74.4% | 3.3 yrs | Apr 17, 2007 | 7.4 yrs |
| Dec 27, 1972 | Oct 4, 1974 | −72.3% | 1.8 yrs | Jul 14, 1982 | 9.5 yrs |
| Aug 17, 1987 | Oct 19, 1987 | −40.2% | 2 mo | Jun 23, 1989 | 1.9 yrs |
| Jan 6, 1970 | May 26, 1970 | −38.7% | 5 mo | Dec 17, 1970 | 11 mo |
| Aug 9, 2019 | Mar 23, 2020 | −38.0% | 7 mo | Sep 15, 2020 | 13 mo |
| Jul 17, 1990 | Oct 31, 1990 | −33.8% | 3 mo | Dec 24, 1991 | 17 mo |
| Jul 1, 1986 | Oct 1, 1986 | −26.0% | 3 mo | Feb 26, 1987 | 8 mo |
| Feb 27, 2026 | Sep 11, 2026 | −26.0% | 6 mo | not yet | 6 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 1970: how far McDonald's Corporation 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: a single asset's history is one surviving sample, 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 McDonald's Corporation from its all-time high?
- McDonald's Corporation is currently 26.0% below its all-time high, set Feb 27, 2026 (as of market close, Sep 11, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest McDonald's Corporation drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1970) took McDonald's Corporation 74.4% below its prior high, bottoming Mar 12, 2003. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily data since -1 from MCD; no free deep history exists for McDonald's Corporation — for a 150-year 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. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.