How much gain do I need to recover from a 50% drawdown?
A 50% loss leaves half your capital. You need a 100% gain on the remaining balance to return to your starting equity — not a 50% gain.
Drawdown recovery calculator
See gain required to recover, run 500 simulated paths with your win rate and avg win/loss, and understand why deep drawdowns are hard to escape.
Free · no sign-up · Runs in your browser · Last updated 18 September 2026
The short version
A 50% loss leaves half your capital. Getting back needs a 100% gain — not 50%.
| Drawdown | Gain to recover |
|---|---|
| −10% | +11% |
| −25% | +33% |
| −50% | +100% |
| −75% | +300% |
| −90% | +900% |
What is a drawdown recovery calculator?
A drawdown recovery calculator shows the percentage gain required to break even after a loss and can simulate how long recovery takes at your win rate. Traders use it to understand asymmetric recovery math — a 50% loss requires a 100% gain on remaining capital, not a 50% gain.
Drawdown recovery questions
Why is recovery harder after a large trading loss?
Losses and gains are asymmetric on account equity. After a 50% drawdown you have half your capital, so you must double it (100% gain) just to reach breakeven.
How long does it take to recover from a drawdown?
Recovery time depends on drawdown depth, win rate, and average win versus average loss. Enter those stats to see median recovery time across 500 randomized trade paths.
What is blowout risk in drawdown recovery?
Blowout risk is the share of simulated paths that fail to recover before hitting drawdown limits or a time cap. High blowout risk means recovery is unlikely without changing risk or strategy.
Other free calculators
The recovery % is the easy half. The hard half is watching it on your own curve.
TradeReview plots the drawdown you are in from logged trades, not from a number you typed. Free forever, no card.