Why a loss needs a bigger gain to recover
A drawdown is a fall in your account from a peak. The catch is that the percentage gain needed to recover is always larger than the percentage you lost β because the gain is calculated on the smaller balance that is left. Lose 20% and you need 25% just to get back to where you started; lose 50% and you need a full 100%.
How to use this calculator
Enter the percentage loss your account has taken. The calculator returns the capital you have left and the gain required to break even.
The recovery maths
Gain to break even = ( 1 Γ· (1 β loss%) β 1 ) Γ 100
| Loss | Gain needed to recover |
|---|---|
| 10% | 11.1% |
| 20% | 25% |
| 30% | 42.9% |
| 50% | 100% |
| 75% | 300% |
| 90% | 900% |
The relationship is not linear β it accelerates. Beyond about 50% the hole becomes very hard to climb out of, which is exactly why experienced traders treat capital preservation as the first job.
What this means for risk
The asymmetry is the whole argument for small, controlled losses. Risking 1β2% of your account per trade keeps any single drawdown shallow enough to recover from without a heroic winning streak. A stop-loss is not there to be right β it is there to keep the recovery maths on your side.