WM drawdown: 3.1% below the all-time high
Waste Management Inc. (WM) is 3.1% below its all-time high, set Mar 9, 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 (1988).
- Below all-time high
- −3.1%
- 96.9% of ATH
- All-time high
- $246.5
- Mar 9, 2026
- Time below the high
- 5 mo
- since Mar 9, 2026
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −77.9%
- Mar 28, 2000
- Longest underwater
- 16.9 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- May 30, 2025
- 14 mo ago
- Last time this deep
- Feb 26, 2026
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1988#
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 WM, 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 4, 1999 | Mar 28, 2000 | −77.9% | 11 mo | Mar 24, 2016 | 16.9 yrs |
| Sep 1, 1988 | Jan 31, 1990 | −50.0% | 17 mo | Nov 19, 1990 | 2.2 yrs |
| Jan 3, 1992 | Nov 22, 1993 | −45.8% | 1.9 yrs | Jul 27, 1995 | 3.6 yrs |
| Jul 16, 1998 | Oct 8, 1998 | −33.1% | 3 mo | May 3, 1999 | 10 mo |
| Feb 18, 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | −30.4% | 34 days | Mar 25, 2021 | 13 mo |
| Sep 10, 1997 | Dec 1, 1997 | −25.4% | 3 mo | Mar 12, 1998 | 6 mo |
| Jun 13, 1996 | Jul 25, 1996 | −24.3% | 42 days | Sep 23, 1996 | 3 mo |
| Nov 9, 1995 | Dec 21, 1995 | −22.2% | 42 days | Mar 4, 1996 | 4 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 1988: how far WM 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: WM 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 WM from its all-time high?
- WM is currently 3.1% below its all-time high, set Mar 9, 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 WM drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1988) took the stock 77.9% below its prior high, bottoming Mar 28, 2000. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1988 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — WM 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.