VRSN drawdown: 9.6% below the all-time high
VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) is 9.6% below its all-time high, set May 22, 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 (1998).
- Below all-time high
- −9.6%
- 90.4% of ATH
- All-time high
- $310.0
- May 22, 2026
- Time below the high
- 2 mo
- since May 22, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −98.4%
- Oct 8, 2002
- Longest underwater
- 21.8 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Apr 30, 2025
- 15 mo ago
- Last time this deep
- May 6, 2026
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1998#
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 VRSN, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2000 | Oct 8, 2002 | −98.4% | 2.6 yrs | Dec 29, 2021 | 21.8 yrs |
| Apr 1, 1998 | Oct 8, 1998 | −55.4% | 6 mo | Dec 9, 1998 | 8 mo |
| Apr 12, 1999 | Jun 14, 1999 | −44.2% | 2 mo | Jul 8, 1999 | 3 mo |
| Dec 29, 2021 | Jun 16, 2022 | −38.8% | 6 mo | Apr 25, 2025 | 3.3 yrs |
| Jul 16, 1999 | Aug 4, 1999 | −37.5% | 19 days | Aug 23, 1999 | 38 days |
| Jul 28, 2025 | Feb 23, 2026 | −30.9% | 7 mo | May 22, 2026 | 10 mo |
| Jan 20, 2000 | Jan 31, 2000 | −22.8% | 11 days | Feb 10, 2000 | 21 days |
| May 22, 2026 | Jun 23, 2026 | −20.3% | 32 days | not yet | 2 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 1998: how far VRSN 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: VRSN 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 VRSN from its all-time high?
- VRSN is currently 9.6% below its all-time high, set May 22, 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 VRSN drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1998) took the stock 98.4% below its prior high, bottoming Oct 8, 2002. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1998 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — VRSN 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.