Consecutive Trading Losses Calculator: a practical guide
What happens if I lose money several days in a row?
See what a run of losing days could leave, and how much growth it would take to recover.
By VolatileShares · Example version 1 · Updated . Hypothetical inputs, not financial recommendations or live company data.
A worked example, in plain English
The idea in 10 seconds: Each loss takes a bite from what remains, not from the original amount.
Small repeated losses still change the recovery hurdle.
This does not predict losing streaks or guarantee a daily loss limit.
- Account after the losing streak
- $1,901.98
- Cumulative account loss
- 4.9%
- Money lost
- $98.02
Walk me through the full calculation
5 consecutive sessions each losing 1% of the remaining account leave $1,901.98 from $2,000.00: a cumulative 4.9% loss, not simply 5 times the entered percentage.
The remaining balance needs 5.15% growth to regain the start, with no new money added. This models account-level losses, not a recommended risk allowance or a promise that a stop can limit the loss. The separate reference table explains the asymmetric recovery math.
Inputs used for this example
These are the calculator's example defaults, not suggested amounts or rates. Market calculators initially display USD. Change currency in the toolbar without creating a personal profile. Under optional Location & display settings, choose an example country for its currency and available historical CPI. Review any example household size and rent assumption before explicitly applying local assumptions: matching unedited budget/inflation fields change, while edited or restored inputs are kept. Lifestyle budgets are fictional examples, not measured national averages. Local tax, pension and borrowing links are guidance, not personal calculations. Switching currency alone does not change percentages, ages or share counts.
- Starting account (USD)
- 2,000
- Account loss each losing day (%)
- 1
- Losing days in a row
- 5
Work backwards from your goal
What starting account would leave this much after the losses?
Start with the balance you want left after the streak.
Choose Work backwards, enter your target and the few essential inputs, then choose Calculate my goal. The answer is checked with the same forward calculation and applied in one step. Example assumptions are disclosed under More options. Expand Calculation details & tools only if you want more detail. Impossible or out-of-range goals show an error instead of invented numbers. Long numbers display commas while editing; calculations and saved snapshots keep the original precision.
Return to the interactive calculator above →How the calculation works
Remaining = start x (1 - loss / 100)^streak. Cumulative loss = 1 - remaining / start. Recovery gain = start / remaining - 1 when remaining is positive.
What this cannot tell you
Each loss applies to the remaining whole-account balance, not the original capital. No gains, deposits, fees or withdrawals intervene. This does not forecast a streak, describe stop execution or calculate historical maximum drawdown. Total loss has no finite percentage recovery.
Changing an assumption changes the example, not the future. Verify source dates and actual product, tax and lending terms before relying on any result. These tools do not replace appropriately qualified advice.
Repeated losses use a shrinking base
Five 1% account losses leave about $95.10 from $100, a 4.90% loss rather than exactly 5%. Getting back requires about 5.15% growth on what remains. No deposits, gains or fees are included.
Illustrative arithmetic, not market evidence or a promise of returns.
Keep a useful starting point
In the interactive calculator, compare different assumptions or explicitly save a named snapshot to My browser notebook. Saving is optional and browser-only, not an account or cloud backup. Revisit it on the same browser profile; restoring never refreshes prices or assumptions.