Drawdown recovery calculator
A 50% loss needs a 100% gain to get back. Enter a drawdown to see the gain needed to recover, or a risk per trade and a losing streak to see how deep it takes you.
Gain needed to recover
25.0%
From a 20.0% drawdown back to the peak.
- Peak balance
- 10,000.00
- After the drawdown
- 8,000.00
- Amount to win back
- 2,000.00
| 5% down | +5.3% |
| 10% down | +11.1% |
| 20% down | +25.0% |
| 30% down | +42.9% |
| 40% down | +66.7% |
| 50% down | +100.0% |
| 75% down | +300.0% |
Calculated in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored. Results are estimates; check your broker's symbol specification.
The formulas
gain needed = 1 ÷ (1 − drawdown) − 1
drawdown after n losses = 1 − (1 − risk per trade)ⁿ
Worked examples
Recovery
- 20% drawdown → 1 ÷ 0.8 − 1 = 25% gain needed.
- 50% drawdown → 100%.
- On $10,000: a fall to $5,000 needs +$5,000, i.e. doubling what is left.
Losing streak
- Risk 2% per trade, 10 losses in a row.
- 1 − 0.98¹⁰ = 18.3% drawdown.
- Recovery needs about 22.4%.
How to use the answer
Decide your maximum acceptable drawdown before you start copying a source, then work backwards: how many losses in a row at your risk per trade reach that line? If the source's history shows streaks that long, lower the risk. Then set an account rule at that line; see drawdown protection.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't a 10-loss streak at 2% a 20% drawdown?
Each loss is 2% of a smaller balance, so losses compound: 0.98 to the power of 10 is 0.817, an 18.3% drawdown.
What drawdown should I accept?
That's personal, but remember the recovery maths: beyond 20–30% the gain needed grows quickly. Prop firms usually stop accounts at 8–12%.
Stop a drawdown at the line you chose.
EquityShield rules alert you, pause copiers or close everything when equity crosses a line you set in advance.
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Risk warning. Trading forex, CFDs, metals, indices and crypto on margin carries a high risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone. Copying trades does not reduce market risk: a copied loss is a real loss. Examples on this page are illustrations, not advice or a forecast. CopyTraderTool is software; it does not give investment advice or manage funds. See the Risk Disclosure.