Every crash since 2008, measured from the day the market hit bottom, payouts reinvested, next to SPY and QQQ.
What counts as a crash here: the S&P 500 falling 15% from its high, or QQQ falling 20%. That gives 7 crashes since 2008.
A year after the March 2020 low, SPY was up 77.5% with payouts reinvested, and QQQ 87.0%. We ran the same test on 2,742 U.S. stocks in all 7 crashes since 2008: what each one did 6 and 12 months after the market’s low, how far it fell first, and how many months it took to get back to its old high. Pick a crash and a benchmark, then look up the names you own.
2020 COVID: the S&P 500 fell 33.9% from Feb 19, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and QQQ 28.6%. A recession.
How the Top 100 Came Back From the Low
The Top 100 below, in five groups of 20 by rank, and the Recovery Champions, each as one equal-weight line from the market low to today. The dashed lines mark the top, the low, and 6 and 12 months after the low.
Group E vs SPY, 2020
Equal weight, payouts reinvested, each line set to 0% on the day of the S&P 500 low. Groups are picked with hindsight from today’s companies.
Size today ranks a fresh Top 100 for that size. Size at the low keeps only the stocks that were that big at the low of the crash you picked.
The Top 100: Best Record 12 Months After the Low
Stocks that lived through at least 4 of the 7 crashes as $2 billion companies, ranked by how many of those crashes they beat SPY 12 months after the market low, the most first, then by their median lead. That is the rank with All crashes or 2008 picked; with All crashes every column is the stock’s average over those same crashes. Pick 2010 or later and it becomes that crash’s Top 100: stocks worth $2 billion or more at that low, ranked by the gain from the low to today. The pick follows you across the page: every chart and every table switches with it. Click a row for its own chart.
Showing companies worth $10B+ today. Change it with the Size today pills above.
Open rows ranked by crashes beaten. The ranking by gain from the 2020 low (Mar 23, 2020) to today opens with Pro.
| # | Stock | Beat SPY ⓘ | Fell (avg) ⓘ | 6 Mo Later (avg) ⓘ | 12 Mo Later (avg) ⓘ | Back to High (avg) ⓘ | Recovery (avg) ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASML - $1,424.75AASML HoldingASML HoldingTechnologyWorth $546B todayAt the 2020 low: $98B | 7 of 7+64% median | -27%SPY -34% | +54%SPY +46% | +142%SPY +78% | 3 moSPY 6 mo | +549%SPY +261% |
| 2 | AAPL - $342.37AAppleAppleTechnologyWorth $5.0T todayAt the 2020 low: $999B | 7 of 7+43% median | -31%SPY -34% | +92%SPY +46% | +120%SPY +78% | 3 moSPY 6 mo | +533%SPY +261% |
| 3 | PH - $917.79AParker-HannifinParker-HannifinIndustrialsWorth $116B todayAt the 2020 low: $13B | 7 of 7+40% median | -54%SPY -34% | +102%SPY +46% | +219%SPY +78% | 6 moSPY 6 mo | +926%SPY +261% |
Recovery Champions: Beat SPY a Year After Every Low
33 stocks worth $10B+ today beat SPY 12 months after the market low in every crash they lived through as a $2 billion company, at least 3 of them. QQQ is the harder bar: it beat SPY a year after every one of the 7 lows.
Open rows ranked by crashes beaten. The ranking by gain from the 2020 low (Mar 23, 2020) to today opens with Pro.
| # | Stock | Beat SPY ⓘ | Fell (avg) ⓘ | 6 Mo Later (avg) ⓘ | 12 Mo Later (avg) ⓘ | Back to High (avg) ⓘ | Recovery (avg) ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASML - $1,424.75ASML HoldingASML HoldingTechnologyWorth $546B todayAt the 2020 low: $98B | 7 of 7+64% median | -27%SPY -34% | +54%SPY +46% | +142%SPY +78% | 3 moSPY 6 mo | +549%SPY +261% |
| 2 | AAPL - $342.37AppleAppleTechnologyWorth $5.0T todayAt the 2020 low: $999B | 7 of 7+43% median | -31%SPY -34% | +92%SPY +46% | +120%SPY +78% | 3 moSPY 6 mo | +533%SPY +261% |
| 3 | PH - $917.79Parker-HannifinParker-HannifinIndustrialsWorth $116B todayAt the 2020 low: $13B | 7 of 7+40% median | -54%SPY -34% | +102%SPY +46% | +219%SPY +78% | 6 moSPY 6 mo | +926%SPY +261% |
Recovery Bosses: Beat SPY After Most Crashes
Not in the Top 100 and not a Champion, but each one beat SPY 12 months after the low in more than half of its crashes. If a stock you own has a good crash record, it is most likely here.
Open rows ranked by crashes beaten. The ranking by gain from the 2020 low (Mar 23, 2020) to today opens with Pro.
| # | Stock | Beat SPY ⓘ | Fell (avg) ⓘ | 6 Mo Later (avg) ⓘ | 12 Mo Later (avg) ⓘ | Back to High (avg) ⓘ | Recovery (avg) ⓘ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TFC - $49.38Truist FinancialTruist FinancialFinancial ServicesWorth $60B todayAt the 2020 low: $24B | 5 of 7+10% median | -53%SPY -34% | +42%SPY +46% | +128%SPY +78% | 11 moSPY 6 mo | +160%SPY +261% |
| 2 | GIB - $83.29CGICGITechnologyWorth $17B todayAt the 2020 low: $13B | 5 of 7+10% median | -39%SPY -34% | +45%SPY +46% | +76%SPY +78% | 10 moSPY 6 mo | +80%SPY +261% |
| 3 | SBUX - $105.41StarbucksStarbucksConsumer CyclicalWorth $121B todayAt the 2020 low: $67B | 5 of 7+9% median | -37%SPY -34% | +48%SPY +46% | +92%SPY +78% | 8 moSPY 6 mo | +116%SPY +261% |
Stocks still listed today. Companies that went under in a crash are not in these lists, so every number here looks better than the real thing was.
How Fast the Market Itself Came Back
SPY with payouts reinvested, from each S&P 500 top. Most of the comeback happens in the first year off the low, which is why the 6 and 12 month marks carry the rank.
| Crash | Fell | 6 Mo After the Low | 12 Mo After the Low | Back to Its High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 crisis (GFC)Oct 2007 to Mar 2009 | -55.2%QQQ -51.6% | +54.3%QQQ +60.1% | +72.0%QQQ +82.8% | 58 monthsQQQ 37 months |
| 2010 flash crashApr 2010 to Jul 2010 | -15.7%QQQ -15.6% | +24.4%QQQ +28.8% | +33.7%QQQ +37.4% | 6 monthsQQQ 6 months |
| 2011 debt ceilingApr 2011 to Oct 2011 | -18.6%QQQ -13.1% | +29.9%QQQ +34.2% | +34.8%QQQ +36.6% | 9 monthsQQQ 6 months |
| 2018 rate scareSep 2018 to Dec 2018 | -19.3%QQQ -21.9% | +26.5%QQQ +31.7% | +39.7%QQQ +48.9% | 7 monthsQQQ 6 months |
| 2020 COVIDFeb 2020 to Mar 2020 | -33.7%QQQ -27.9% | +45.9%QQQ +55.2% | +77.5%QQQ +87.0% | 6 monthsQQQ 3 months |
| 2022 rate hikesJan 2022 to Oct 2022 | -24.5%QQQ -34.3% | +15.4%QQQ +19.7% | +23.6%QQQ +41.8% | 23 monthsQQQ 23 months |
| 2025 tariff crashFeb 2025 to Apr 2025 | -18.8%QQQ -22.8% | +36.4%QQQ +47.3% | +37.7%QQQ +46.4% | 4 monthsQQQ 4 months |
| 2026 Iran war dipOct 2025 to Mar 2026, a correction | -7.5%QQQ -12.0% | +21.3%QQQ +32.8% | Not yetmark on Mar 30, 2027 | 6 monthsQQQ 6 months |
How to Read This Page
- Every clock starts at the market’s low. The question is simple: if you bought on the day the S&P 500 bottomed, what did you have 6 and 12 months later? Each stock’s own low may have come earlier or later.
- Payouts count. Returns are total return with every dividend reinvested on its ex-date, for the stocks and for SPY and QQQ. A stock that pays nothing is just its price.
- Recovery is the total return from the market low to today, payouts reinvested, with no cap. SPY over the same stretch sits under it, so a stock at +300% with SPY +100% under it turned $10,000 put in at the low into $40,000, while the fund made it $20,000.
- The 2026 dip is not a crash. The S&P 500 fell 9.1% and QQQ 12.2% into Mar 30, 2026. It is on the chart and in the tables for its 6-month numbers. It stays out of the All crashes rank; its own chip ranks the Top 100 on the gain from that low to today. Its 12-month mark comes on Mar 30, 2027.
Questions About Stocks After a Crash
Which stocks recover fastest after a crash?
Among U.S. stocks worth $10 billion or more, ASML, AAPL and PH have the best record across the 7 crashes since 2008, counted as how many of those crashes each one beat SPY 12 months after the market low: ASML 7 of 7 (median lead +64%), AAPL 7 of 7 (median lead +43%) and PH 7 of 7 (median lead +40%). The full Top 100, the Champions and the Bosses come with any paid plan.
How long did the stock market take to recover after each crash?
SPY with payouts reinvested was back at its old high 58 months after the 2008 top, 6 months after the 2010 top, 9 months after the 2011 top, 7 months after the 2018 top, 6 months after the 2020 top, 23 months after the 2022 top and 4 months after the 2025 top.
What did SPY do a year after each crash low?
With payouts reinvested, SPY made +72.0% after the 2008 low, +33.7% after the 2010 low, +34.8% after the 2011 low, +39.7% after the 2018 low, +77.5% after the 2020 low, +23.6% after the 2022 low and +37.7% after the 2025 low. QQQ did better every time.
Why is a stock I own not on the lists?
The Top 100 needs at least 4 of the 7 crashes lived through as a $2 billion company, so newer listings and small companies drop out. Switch Size today to All for the widest list. Companies that went under are not here at all.
