WFC’s worst drop since 1999 was 79%
Wells Fargo (WFC) fell 79% from Sep 2008 to Mar 2009. It took 4.5 years from that peak to close at a new high, in Mar 2013. Over the same years the S&P 500 fell as much as 55%.
That drop ranks 395th deepest among the 986 stocks PortfolioAutopsy tracks.
Drawdown from the last high, 1999 to now
How WFC held up in each crash
| Crash | Years | WFC | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dot-com bust | 2000–02 | −29.2% | −47.5% |
| Financial crisis | 2007–09 | −79.0% | −55.2% |
| COVID crash | 2020 | −56.8% | −33.7% |
| 2022 rate shock | 2022 | −36.3% | −24.5% |
Each number is the deepest fall from a high inside that window, using daily prices with dividends reinvested.
See how WFC 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 WFC’s maximum drawdown?
WFC’s deepest fall since 1999 was 79.0%, from its high on September 19, 2008 to its low on March 5, 2009. The figure uses daily prices with dividends reinvested.
How long did WFC take to recover?
4.5 years. WFC first closed above its Sep 2008 high again on March 7, 2013.
Was WFC riskier than the S&P 500?
Over the same years, WFC’s worst drop was 79.0% against 55.2% for the S&P 500 (SPY), and its worst 12 months were −70.6% 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.