EWU’s worst drop since 1999 was 64%
iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) fell 64% from Oct 2007 to Mar 2009. It took 6.5 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Apr 2014. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop ranks 47th deepest among the 203 ETFs PortfolioAutopsy tracks.
Drawdown from the last high, 1999 to now
How EWU held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | EWU | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | −44.1% | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −64.0% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −42.4% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −24.9% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
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What was EWU’s maximum drawdown?
EWU’s deepest fall since 1999 was 64.0%, from its high on October 31, 2007 to its low on March 9, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did EWU take to recover?
6.5 years. EWU first closed above its Oct 2007 high again on April 30, 2014.
Was EWU riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, EWU’s worst drop was 64.0% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −56.9% 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.