MRK’s worst drop since 1999 was 69%
Merck & Co. (MRK) fell 69% from Dec 2000 to Mar 2009. It took 13.1 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Feb 2014. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 578th of the 986 stocks PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 1999 to now
How MRK held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | MRK | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | −57.5% | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −63.3% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −27.3% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −10.7% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how MRK 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 MRK’s maximum drawdown?
MRK’s deepest fall since 1999 was 68.6%, from its high on December 28, 2000 to its low on March 9, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did MRK take to recover?
13.1 years. MRK first closed above its Dec 2000 high again on February 7, 2014.
Was MRK riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, MRK’s worst drop was 68.6% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −56.8% 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.