Engineering Alpha

Engineering Alpha

Drawdown Is Not Just a Number

A drawdown is usually presented as a percentage

Sofien Kaabar, CFA's avatar
Sofien Kaabar, CFA
Jul 30, 2026
∙ Paid

A drawdown is usually presented as a percentage.

A strategy loses 8%, 15%, or 25% from its previous peak, and the result is placed neatly into a performance table.

That number matters, but it does not tell the whole story.

Two strategies can experience the same maximum drawdown and still feel completely different to trade.

A 15% decline over five days is no…

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