VDE drawdown: 7.3% below the all-time high
Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE) is 7.3% below its all-time high, set Mar 27, 2026 (as of market close, Aug 6, 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 (2004).
- Below all-time high
- −7.3%
- 92.7% of ATH
- All-time high
- $176.9
- Mar 27, 2026
- Time below the high
- 4 mo
- since Mar 27, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −78.5%
- Mar 18, 2020
- Longest underwater
- 11.6 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Mar 17, 2026
- 5 mo ago
- Last time this deep
- Jan 20, 2026
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 2004#
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 VDE, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2014 | Mar 18, 2020 | −78.5% | 5.7 yrs | Feb 4, 2026 | 11.6 yrs |
| May 20, 2008 | Mar 2, 2009 | −58.9% | 9 mo | Apr 15, 2014 | 5.9 yrs |
| May 10, 2006 | Jun 13, 2006 | −16.8% | 34 days | Nov 29, 2006 | 7 mo |
| Jan 3, 2008 | Jan 23, 2008 | −15.9% | 20 days | Apr 16, 2008 | 3 mo |
| Sep 29, 2005 | Oct 20, 2005 | −15.9% | 21 days | Jan 17, 2006 | 4 mo |
| Mar 27, 2026 | Jul 1, 2026 | −15.6% | 3 mo | not yet | 4 mo+ |
| Mar 4, 2005 | May 16, 2005 | −15.1% | 2 mo | Jun 17, 2005 | 3 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 2004: how far VDE 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: VDE 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 VDE from its all-time high?
- VDE is currently 7.3% below its all-time high, set Mar 27, 2026 (as of market close, Aug 6, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest VDE drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 2004) took the stock 78.5% below its prior high, bottoming Mar 18, 2020. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 2004 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — VDE 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.