VLO drawdown: 3.9% below the all-time high
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is 3.9% below its all-time high, set Jul 21, 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 (1982).
- Below all-time high
- −3.9%
- 96.1% of ATH
- All-time high
- $314.8
- Jul 21, 2026
- Time below the high
- 3 days
- since Jul 21, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −87.5%
- Feb 12, 1988
- Longest underwater
- 13.6 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Jul 17, 2026
- 7 days ago
- Last time this deep
- Jun 24, 2026
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1982#
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 VLO, 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 19, 1983 | Feb 12, 1988 | −87.5% | 4.5 yrs | Mar 26, 1997 | 13.6 yrs |
| Jul 10, 2007 | Nov 20, 2008 | −81.9% | 16 mo | Nov 4, 2015 | 8.3 yrs |
| Jun 4, 2018 | Mar 23, 2020 | −73.8% | 1.8 yrs | May 4, 2022 | 3.9 yrs |
| Jul 31, 1997 | Mar 2, 1999 | −61.0% | 1.6 yrs | Apr 17, 2001 | 3.7 yrs |
| May 21, 2001 | Oct 9, 2002 | −54.8% | 17 mo | Jan 20, 2004 | 2.7 yrs |
| Jan 4, 1982 | Aug 16, 1982 | −44.0% | 7 mo | Dec 31, 1982 | 12 mo |
| Apr 5, 2024 | Apr 4, 2025 | −42.9% | 12 mo | Nov 18, 2025 | 1.6 yrs |
| Nov 24, 2015 | Jul 7, 2016 | −35.3% | 7 mo | Sep 20, 2017 | 1.8 yrs |
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 1982: how far VLO 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: VLO 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 VLO from its all-time high?
- VLO is currently 3.9% below its all-time high, set Jul 21, 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 VLO drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1982) took the stock 87.5% below its prior high, bottoming Feb 12, 1988. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1982 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — VLO 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.