Apple fell -81.8% at its worst — here is every crash since 1980
Peak, bottom, and how long it took to get back to break-even, plus what $10,000 would have been worth at each bottom.
Data as of September 10, 2026
Worst fall on record
-81.8%
March 22, 2000 to April 17, 2003, falling for 3 years 1 month
The 10 deepest falls of 10% or more since December 12, 1980.
- Time to recover
- 4 years 10 months
- On your amount
- $1,820
- Right now
- -7.2%
Back at that peak on January 26, 2005
What $10,000 was worth at the bottom
As of September 9, 2026
In an ordinary year it moves about ±44.3% around its own trend.
| Peak | Bottom | Fall | Peak to bottom | Peak to recovery | Your amount at the bottom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PeakMarch 22, 2000 | BottomApril 17, 2003 | Fall-81.8% | Peak to bottom3 years 1 month | Peak to recovery4 years 10 months | Your amount at the bottom$1,820 |
| PeakApril 2, 1991 | BottomDecember 23, 1997 | Fall-81.2% | Peak to bottom6 years 9 months | Peak to recovery8 years 5 months | Your amount at the bottom$1,876 |
| PeakJune 6, 1983 | BottomAugust 15, 1985 | Fall-76.9% | Peak to bottom2 years 2 months | Peak to recovery3 years 8 months | Your amount at the bottom$2,311 |
| PeakDecember 29, 1980 | BottomJuly 8, 1982 | Fall-69.4% | Peak to bottom1 year 6 months | Peak to recovery2 years 1 month | Your amount at the bottom$3,056 |
| PeakDecember 28, 2007 | BottomJanuary 20, 2009 | Fall-60.9% | Peak to bottom1 year 1 month | Peak to recovery1 year 10 months | Your amount at the bottom$3,913 |
| PeakOctober 5, 1987 | BottomOctober 16, 1990 | Fall-56.5% | Peak to bottom3 years | Peak to recovery3 years 4 months | Your amount at the bottom$4,345 |
| PeakSeptember 19, 2012 | BottomApril 19, 2013 | Fall-43.8% | Peak to bottom7 months | Peak to recovery1 year 10 months | Your amount at the bottom$5,620 |
| PeakJanuary 13, 2006 | BottomJuly 14, 2006 | Fall-40.8% | Peak to bottom6 months | Peak to recovery10 months | Your amount at the bottom$5,920 |
| PeakOctober 3, 2018 | BottomJanuary 3, 2019 | Fall-38.5% | Peak to bottom3 months | Peak to recovery1 year | Your amount at the bottom$6,148 |
| PeakDecember 26, 2024 | BottomApril 8, 2025 | Fall-33.4% | Peak to bottom3 months | Peak to recovery10 months | Your amount at the bottom$6,664 |
Depth is measured from the previous all-time high, and “peak to recovery” runs from that high back to it — not from the bottom, which gives a much shorter number.
What Apple's own history says
The worst fall was -81.8%, from March 22, 2000 to April 17, 2003 — $10,000 invested at that peak was worth $1,820 at the bottom. It took 4 years 10 months from that peak to close back at it, on January 26, 2005. Today it sits 7.2% below its all-time high.
Computed from daily closing prices with dividends reinvested, snapshotted September 10, 2026.
Try another asset
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Crash histories for other assets
- S&P 500 drawdown history
- Nasdaq 100 drawdown history
- Total world (VT) drawdown history
- Total US market (VTI) drawdown history
- Bitcoin drawdown history
- Ethereum drawdown history
- Gold (GLD) drawdown history
- Long Treasuries (TLT) drawdown history
- ARK Innovation (ARKK) drawdown history
- Tesla drawdown history
- Nvidia drawdown history
- SCHD drawdown history
- VWCE drawdown history
History is not a forecast
This page shows what actually happened to a real price series — nothing more. An asset that recovered every time so far carries no promise that it will again, and the next fall will not be the last one. Prices exclude trading costs, spreads, currency conversion and taxes, all of which make a real-world fall worse than the one drawn here. Nothing on this page is investment advice; do your own research or speak to a regulated adviser before investing.
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