Drawdown Six Months Formula in Excel

The Drawdown Six Months formula in Excel (available with MarketXLS) helps traders and investors quickly measure the peak-to-trough decline of a stock over the past six months. This function is especially useful for risk management and historical performance analysis. By incorporating real-time data from MarketXLS, you can streamline your decision-making process right within Excel.

Understanding Drawdown Six Months

  • Purpose: The function calculates the largest price drop from a recent peak within a six-month timeframe, giving you insight into downside risk and market volatility.
  • Use Cases:
    • Evaluating a stock’s short-term risk profile
    • Comparing different symbols to see which has been more volatile
    • Identifying historical market dips for strategic entry or exit
  • Key Benefits:
    • Convenient: Uses current and historical data directly in Excel.
    • Accurate: Automatically updates with reliable MarketXLS data feeds.
    • Time-Saving: Quickly review six-month drawdown without manual calculations.

Syntax and Parameters

Use the formula in Excel by referencing a valid symbol. The syntax is:

=DrawdownSixMonths(Symbol)
Parameter Description Required Example
Symbol The ticker or identifier for the security (e.g., stock, ETF, index, crypto, or option). Yes "MSFT"

Return Value

The formula returns a numeric value (as a percentage) indicating the peak-to-trough decline over the last six months. For example, a return of -12.50 signifies a 12.50% peak-to-trough decline.

Error Handling

  • If the ticker is invalid or data is unavailable, the function returns NA.
  • If the MarketXLS license is not valid, the function also returns NA.

Performance Considerations

  • The function queries MarketXLS servers for historical price data.
  • Results may vary based on internet connectivity and the availability of market data.

?? Note: Make sure you have a valid MarketXLS subscription for uninterrupted data.

Examples and Usage

Below are some examples that illustrate how to use the DrawdownSixMonths function with different symbol types:

=DrawdownSixMonths("MSFT")                  // Regular symbol
=DrawdownSixMonths("^SPX")                  // Index
=DrawdownSixMonths("@MSFT 110122C00020000") // Option
=DrawdownSixMonths("BTCUSD:DEFAULT")        // Crypto

? Pro Tip: You can combine this function with Excel conditional formatting to highlight stocks that exceed a certain drawdown threshold.

Real-World Applications

  1. Portfolio Risk Analysis: Quickly scan multiple tickers in a spreadsheet to see which ones experienced the largest drop.
  2. Trend Identification: Combine with technical indicators to confirm short-term trends and validate potential buy or sell signals.

Common Questions

  1. Why am I getting NA?

    • Check if your symbol is valid or if your MarketXLS license has expired.
  2. Can I use date inputs?

    • This function automatically fetches the last six months of data. You do not need separate date parameters.
    • For date-sensitive functions that do require dates, you can typically reference a cell (e.g., =Function(A1)), insert direct dates (e.g., =Function("2024-03-15")), or use Excel date functions (e.g., =Function(TEXT(A1,"yyyy-mm-dd"))).
  3. Does this work on non-US markets?

    • Yes. If MarketXLS supports the ticker, the formula returns data for that exchange.
  4. Are there related functions?

    • Total Dividends Paid Between Two Days In The Past
    • Stock Return Seven Days
    • Stock Return Fifteen Days
    • Stock Return Thirty Days

These functions similarly leverage MarketXLS data to provide insights into dividends, multi-day returns, and other performance metrics.