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Crypto drawdown recovery calculator

Losses and gains are not symmetrical: fall 50% and you need to rise 100% to be level. Enter a loss to see what it takes to get back.

%
USD
%

After a fall of 50% you need a gain of 100% to get back to where you were.

Gain needed
+100%
from the low
Multiple needed
2.00×
of the current value
Portfolio now
$5,000
from $10,000
Time to recover
14.2 months
at 5% a month
Gain needed to recover from losses of different sizes
LossGain needed
−5%+5.3%
−10%+11.1%
−20%+25.0%
−30%+42.9%
−40%+66.7%
−50%+100%
−60%+150%
−70%+233%
−75%+300%
−80%+400%
−90%+900%
−95%+1,900%

Select a row to try that loss. Bars use a square-root scale so the largest gains do not flatten the rest.

Why a loss is bigger than it looks

A portfolio worth 100 that falls 50% is worth 50. A 50% gain on 50 is only 75; it takes a 100% gain to return to 100. In general the gain needed is 1 ÷ (1 − loss) − 1, which grows slowly for small losses and explosively as the loss approaches 100%.

This is why many traders cap the loss they will take before cutting a position, and why position sizing comes before picking coins. To see how far real coins have fallen and how long they took to come back, read our crypto bear markets study.

Questions

How much do I need to gain to recover from a 50% loss?
A 100% gain. Losing half of $10,000 leaves $5,000, and getting back to $10,000 means doubling it. The formula is 1 ÷ (1 − loss) − 1.
Why is recovery harder than the loss?
Percentages apply to different amounts. A 50% loss is taken from the high; the gain that follows is taken from the smaller number left. The deeper the loss, the wider the gap: −80% needs +400%, −90% needs +900%.
How long does it take to recover?
That depends on the gains that follow, which no one can promise. The calculator shows the time at a steady monthly gain you choose: a 50% loss takes about 14 months at 5% a month, and 70% takes more than two years. Real recoveries are uneven.
How long have crypto falls taken to recover?
Our bear markets study lists every fall of 30% or more in the largest coins since 2019, how long each took to hit bottom and to get back to its high, and which have not recovered at all.
Does this apply to a single coin or a whole portfolio?
Both. For a coin, use its fall from the high; for a portfolio, the fall in its total value. A portfolio that also adds or withdraws money needs its returns measured separately from those flows.

Disclaimer: This calculator is educational and does not constitute financial advice. The time to recover assumes a steady monthly gain, which real markets do not deliver. Cryptocurrency prices are volatile; never invest more than you can afford to lose.