VZ’s worst drop since 1999 was 57%
Verizon (VZ) fell 57% from Oct 1999 to Sep 2002. It took 11.5 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Mar 2011. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop is milder than most. It ranks 796th of the 986 stocks PortfolioAutopsy tracks, counted from the deepest.
Drawdown from the last high, 1999 to now
How VZ held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | VZ | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | −54.8% | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −42.5% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −17.8% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −33.8% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how VZ 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 VZ’s maximum drawdown?
VZ’s deepest fall since 1999 was 56.8%, from its high on October 4, 1999 to its low on September 30, 2002. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did VZ take to recover?
11.5 years. VZ first closed above its Oct 1999 high again on March 29, 2011.
Was VZ riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, VZ’s worst drop was 56.8% 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.