BRK-B’s worst drop since 1999 was 54%
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) fell 54% from Dec 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 5.2 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Feb 2013. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 842nd of the 986 stocks PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 1999 to now
How BRK-B held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | BRK-B | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | −24.7% | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −53.9% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −29.5% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −26.6% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how BRK-B behaves inside your whole mix, with the worst 12 months, loss odds and crash replays. Free, no signup, and the math runs in your browser.
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What was BRK-B’s maximum drawdown?
BRK-B’s deepest fall since 1999 was 53.9%, from its high on December 10, 2007 to its low on March 5, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did BRK-B take to recover?
5.2 years. BRK-B first closed above its Dec 2007 high again on February 19, 2013.
Was BRK-B riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, BRK-B’s worst drop was 53.9% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −50.1% against −47.4%.
Compare with
Daily adjusted closes from Yahoo Finance, January 5, 1999 through October 13, 2026, dividends reinvested. Historical facts, not a forecast and not investment advice.