TLT drawdown: 51.2% below the all-time high
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) is 51.2% below its all-time high, set Aug 4, 2020 (as of market close, Jul 27, 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 (2002).
- Below all-time high
- −51.2%
- 48.8% of ATH
- All-time high
- $171.6
- Aug 4, 2020
- Time below the high
- 6.0 yrs
- since Aug 4, 2020
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −51.8%
- Oct 19, 2023
- Longest underwater
- 6.0 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Aug 2, 2002
- 24.0 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- never before
- no prior −51.2% episode
% of all-time high since 2002#
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 TLT, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2020 | Oct 19, 2023 | −51.8% | 3.2 yrs | not yet | 6.0 yrs+ |
| Dec 19, 2008 | Apr 5, 2010 | −28.5% | 16 mo | Sep 22, 2011 | 2.8 yrs |
| Jul 25, 2012 | Dec 27, 2013 | −23.0% | 17 mo | Jan 14, 2015 | 2.5 yrs |
| Jul 8, 2016 | Nov 2, 2018 | −22.0% | 2.3 yrs | Aug 14, 2019 | 3.1 yrs |
| Jun 13, 2003 | May 13, 2004 | −17.0% | 11 mo | Mar 20, 2008 | 4.8 yrs |
| Jan 30, 2015 | Jun 26, 2015 | −16.7% | 5 mo | Jun 27, 2016 | 17 mo |
| Mar 9, 2020 | Mar 18, 2020 | −15.7% | 9 days | Apr 21, 2020 | 43 days |
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 2002: how far TLT 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: TLT 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 TLT from its all-time high?
- TLT is currently 51.2% below its all-time high, set Aug 4, 2020 (as of market close, Jul 27, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest TLT drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 2002) took the stock 51.8% below its prior high, bottoming Oct 19, 2023. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 2002 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — TLT 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.