RIO drawdown: 29.2% below the all-time high
Rio Tinto Plc (RIO) is 29.2% below its all-time high, set May 16, 2008 (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 (1990).
- Below all-time high
- −29.2%
- 70.8% of ATH
- All-time high
- $138.7
- May 16, 2008
- Time below the high
- 18.2 yrs
- since May 16, 2008
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −89.1%
- Dec 4, 2008
- Longest underwater
- 18.2 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Nov 8, 2007
- 18.8 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- Jan 22, 2008
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1990#
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 RIO, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2008 | Dec 4, 2008 | −89.1% | 7 mo | not yet | 18.2 yrs+ |
| Jun 24, 1997 | Aug 31, 1998 | −48.8% | 14 mo | Jul 6, 1999 | 2.0 yrs |
| Jan 7, 2000 | Sep 21, 2001 | −43.0% | 1.7 yrs | Oct 13, 2003 | 3.8 yrs |
| Nov 9, 2007 | Jan 22, 2008 | −30.7% | 2 mo | Apr 15, 2008 | 5 mo |
| Jul 9, 2007 | Aug 16, 2007 | −28.1% | 38 days | Sep 21, 2007 | 2 mo |
| Aug 1, 1990 | Sep 24, 1990 | −28.1% | 54 days | Apr 13, 1992 | 1.7 yrs |
| May 10, 2006 | Sep 25, 2006 | −26.5% | 5 mo | Apr 13, 2007 | 11 mo |
| Jan 6, 2004 | May 14, 2004 | −25.2% | 4 mo | Nov 24, 2004 | 11 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 1990: how far RIO 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: RIO 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 RIO from its all-time high?
- RIO is currently 29.2% below its all-time high, set May 16, 2008 (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 RIO drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1990) took the stock 89.1% below its prior high, bottoming Dec 4, 2008. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1990 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — RIO 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.