Maximum drawdown measures the largest percentage decline in an investment strategy from a previous portfolio-value peak to the subsequent trough before a new peak is reached. A maximum drawdown of 15% means that, at the worst point during the 20-year measurement period, the strategy’s value fell 15% from its preceding high. Option D accurately states this interpretation.
The decline does not need to occur within a single calendar year. It may begin during one reporting period and continue into another. Consequently, option C is not necessarily correct. Maximum drawdown also does not represent a probability of loss, eliminating option A, and it does not indicate that the strategy lost 15% every year, eliminating option B.
Drawdown is useful because it shows the scale of an investor’s historically experienced capital decline and helps assess whether the strategy’s downside behaviour is consistent with the client’s risk capacity and willingness to tolerate loss. However, it remains a historical measure and does not establish the maximum possible future loss. A future decline may exceed the historical maximum.
Maximum drawdown should be considered alongside volatility, standard deviation, beta, downside deviation, liquidity and recovery time. Official references: CIRO Retail Securities Syllabus—portfolio risk measurement, drawdown, risk-adjusted performance and evaluation of investment strategies.
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