Russell 2000 Downtrend Replay (2008-09-19 to 2008-10-09)
Replay the Russell 2000's brutal -22.7% slide across the 2008-09 to 2008-10 window in authentic daily bars. Work through decision points, defend your calls against a 33.8% drawdown, and receive an AI coach review of your simulated reasoning.
30 daily bars · 7 decision points · 2008-09 to 2008-10 · Stocks
Key facts
This window spans 41 days with a peak-to-trough drawdown of 33.8% and a 14.4% run-up.
- Max drawdown
- −33.8%
- Max run-up
- +14.4%
- Duration
- 41 days
- Largest single-day move
- −9.5%
- Bars
- 30 Daily bars
- Decision points
- 7
Every figure above is computed programmatically from this replay’s own candle series — no editorial input, no LLM. Methodology: Methodology
The market advances day by day. You only see candles up to the current day — as if you were really there.
At key decision points choose Buy / Trim / Exit / Hold. Each decision advances the timeline by one day.
After settlement you get a six-dimension score and an AI coach review. Your result enters the scenario leaderboard.
Event Replay
What happened — and what it teaches
In September 2008, the Russell 2000 index entered one of its most treacherous periods in recent history. This small-cap benchmark faced mounting headwinds as the global financial crisis intensified, threatening portfolio values across the market. Participants entering this replay face the challenge of navigating a sustained downtrend with authentic daily bars spanning the late summer into autumn of 2008.
The numbers tell a stark story. The index fell from 707.29 to 546.84, a decline of -22.7% over the period. What makes this particularly demanding is the 33.8% max drawdown — meaning peak-to-trough losses exceeded the headline percentage — combined with a largest single-bar move of 9.5%. Seven decision points punctuate the chart, three marked as critical, demanding timely responses to shifting conditions.
This replay distills the core tensions of active portfolio management: distinguishing between temporary dislocations and structural breaks, sizing positions amid heightened volatility, and maintaining discipline when drawdowns test conviction. Participants learn that surviving a -22.7% environment requires both technical skill and psychological resilience. The 33.8% drawdown figure serves as a reminder that realized losses can substantially exceed initial expectations. Navigating multiple decision points teaches emotional control and systematic thinking under pressure, skills transferable far beyond this historical episode.