Cotton Historical Replay: 2020-02 to 2020-05
Replay 64 daily bars of US cotton from February to May 2020, when prices fell 18.8% from 67.51 to 54.83. Step through the pandemic-era drawdown, make decisions at 11 decision points, and receive AI coach feedback in this simulated training scenario.
64 daily bars · 11 decision points · 2020-02 to 2020-05 · Commodities
Key facts
This window spans 91 days with a peak-to-trough drawdown of 29.8% and a 19.9% run-up.
- Max drawdown
- −29.8%
- Max run-up
- +19.9%
- Duration
- 91 days
- Largest single-day move
- +5.6%
- Bars
- 64 Daily bars
- Decision points
- 11
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 early 2020, the cotton market entered one of its most turbulent periods in recent memory. Between February 5 and May 6, US cotton futures were caught in the vortex of a global pandemic that disrupted supply chains, crushed demand for textiles, and shattered investor confidence across commodities. With 64 daily trading bars to navigate, participants faced a cascading crisis that demanded both discipline and adaptability.
The numbers tell a stark story. Cotton prices fell 18.8%, from 67.51 to 54.83, while the maximum drawdown reached 29.8%—meaning anyone holding long positions experienced peak losses far exceeding the headline decline. The largest single trading day move of 5.6% underscored the volatility spikes that characterize crisis environments, where news cycles could reverse sentiment within hours. Across the period, traders encountered 11 decision points, with 4 deemed critical junctures where positioning choices carried outsized consequences for outcomes.
This replay trains participants to confront several enduring challenges: managing risk when drawdowns exceed expectations, avoiding reactive selling at market bottoms, and maintaining process discipline when headlines scream panic. The scenario forces uncomfortable questions about position sizing and conviction under uncertainty—core skills that transfer far beyond cotton to any market facing exogenous shocks.
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