Break-even Recovery Calculator
Break-even recovery calculator
Change from entry
Gain needed to break even
Break-even sell price
Cost of fees
A fall and the rise that undoes it are not the same number: down 40% needs +66.7% to get back, and down 50% needs +100%. That asymmetry is arithmetic, not sentiment. The break-even price includes a fee on both the buy and the sell, so it sits slightly above your entry even before any loss. Runs entirely in your browser. Not advice.
What this calculator does
It answers two questions that sound like one. First, how far a position has moved from your entry. Second, how large a gain from where it is now would return you to break even, once a fee on the buy and a fee on the sell are both accounted for.
Why the two numbers are never the same
A percentage fall and the percentage rise that undoes it are not symmetrical, because they are measured against different starting points. Fall 40% and you are at 60% of where you started; getting from 60 back to 100 is a gain of 66.7%, not 40%. The deeper the hole, the wider the gap:
- Down 10% needs +11.1%
- Down 25% needs +33.3%
- Down 40% needs +66.7%
- Down 50% needs +100%
- Down 75% needs +300%
- Down 90% needs +900%
This is arithmetic, not sentiment, and it is the single most useful reason to care about position size before you need to care about recovery.
The fee component
Your break-even sell price sits slightly above your entry even if the price never moved, because you paid to get in and you will pay to get out. At 0.1% per side that is roughly 0.2% — small, but it means “back to my entry price” and “back to even” are two different prices. At 0.5% per side the gap is about 1%, and for anyone trading frequently that difference compounds into the largest line item in the account.
What it does not model
Slippage, spread, funding on a leveraged position, withdrawal fees and tax are all absent. Every one of them pushes the real break-even higher than the figure shown. Treat the output as the best case.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tell me whether to hold or sell? No. It tells you the size of the gain required. Whether that is plausible is a separate question this tool cannot answer, and we do not publish price forecasts.
Why is the required gain so large after a big fall? Because the gain is measured against the reduced amount you now have, not against your original stake. See the table above.
Does it work for a short position? The change and break-even figures assume a long. For a short the same asymmetry applies in reverse, and a rising price works against you without limit.
Is this advice? No. See our disclaimer.