SOXX observed max drawdown: 63.0%
iShares Semiconductor ETF. From its 2001-07-31 peak, SOXX fell 63.0% to the 2008-11-30 trough and needed 12.3 years to make a new high (2013-11-30). Computed from 302 months of observed fund history. Fund inception boundary (first available fund observation): 2001-07-13; the monthly analysis runs from 2001-07-31 through 2026-08-31.
Before 2001-07-13, the extended history is simulated. Observed fund drawdowns come first; simulation assumptions and results are separated below.
What is SOXX's observed maximum drawdown?
SOXX's observed maximum drawdown was 63.0%, from a peak in 2001-07-31 to a trough in 2008-11-30, based on monthly closes from fund prices first observed on 2001-07-13. The sample contains 302 monthly observations through 2026-08-31. Monthly closes can miss deeper daily losses.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum drawdown | -63.0% |
| Peak | 2001-07-31 |
| Trough | 2008-11-30 |
| Recovered | 2013-11-30 |
| Monthly observations | 302 |
Last verified
What is SOXX's observed maximum drawdown?
SOXX's observed maximum drawdown was 63.0%, from a peak in 2001-07-31 to a trough in 2008-11-30, based on monthly closes from fund prices first observed on 2001-07-13.
How long did SOXX take to recover from its worst drawdown?
SOXX took 12.3 years from the 2001-07-31 peak to make a new high in 2013-11-30, based only on observed fund prices.
What was SOXX's worst 12-month return?
SOXX's worst observed rolling 12-month return was -54.0%, in the 12 months ending 2008-11-30.
SOXX observed fund drawdown statistics
2001-07-31 peak to 2008-11-30 trough.
New high reached 2013-11-30.
Share of all months spent below a prior high.
Rolling year ending 2008-11-30.
The biggest SOXX drawdowns in observed fund history
| Depth | Peak | Trough | Recovered | Peak to trough | Total underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -63.0% | 2001-07-31 | 2008-11-30 | 2013-11-30 | 88 mo | 12.3 years |
| -40.7% | 2021-12-31 | 2022-09-30 | 2023-07-31 | 9 mo | 19 months |
| -25.1% | 2024-06-30 | 2025-04-30 | 2025-08-31 | 10 mo | 14 months |
| -21.2% | 2026-06-30 | 2026-07-31 | not yet | 1 mo | 2 months |
| -18.7% | 2015-05-31 | 2015-09-30 | 2016-07-31 | 4 mo | 14 months |
Methodology: observed SOXX fund prices only, first available from 2001-07-13. Monthly closing-price statistics cover 2001-07-31 through 2026-08-31; no proxy or pre-inception simulation is included in this table. Educational information, not investment advice.
Before 2001-07-13: simulated from the underlying index with assumptions
This separate series combines observed prices with a modeled pre-inception extension from 1985-07-31 through 2026-09-30. The 2026-09-30 endpoint is the legacy current partial-month bucket/month-end label, not evidence that SOXX was observed through that future date. It is not observed SOXX performance. The API's observed boundary is 2001-07-13; observed monthly statistics run from 2001-07-31 through 2026-08-31.
- Rebalancing convention: monthly rebalance at month-end close; drawdown statistics use monthly closing prices.
- Proxy source for SOXX: FSELX (proxy_etf), from 1985-07-29 to 2001-07-12.
- Proxy source for SPY: VFINX (proxy_etf), from 1976-08-31 to 1993-01-28.
- Proxy source for SPY: spy_tr (static_monthly), from 1900-01-31 to 1976-08-30.
Modeled extended statistics
2000-08-31 peak to 2008-11-30 trough.
New high reached 2017-02-28.
Share of all months spent below a prior high.
Rolling year ending 2001-09-30.
For context, SPY (the S&P 500 baseline) had a maximum drawdown of 50.8% over the same kind of monthly-close analysis.
Modeled extended drawdowns
| Depth | Peak | Trough | Recovered | Peak to trough | Total underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -81.4% | 2000-08-31 | 2008-11-30 | 2017-02-28 | 99 mo | 16.5 years |
| -48.1% | 1986-04-30 | 1988-11-30 | 1992-01-31 | 31 mo | 5.8 years |
| -40.7% | 2021-12-31 | 2022-09-30 | 2023-07-31 | 9 mo | 19 months |
| -34.3% | 1997-09-30 | 1998-08-31 | 1998-11-30 | 11 mo | 14 months |
| -25.1% | 2024-06-30 | 2025-04-30 | 2025-08-31 | 10 mo | 14 months |
Monthly closing prices, peak-to-trough on total return where available. The pre-inception segment is a reconstruction, not a live fund record, and actual tracking, financing, taxes, spreads, and volatility drag can differ.
Drawdowns are the reason tactical strategies exist
Buy-and-hold SOXX means living through every number on this page. BestFolio tracks published TAA strategies whose whole job is cutting these drawdowns, with out-of-sample track records.