The Bear Case: How XOM Behaves During Market Shocks
Holding equities means accepting volatility as the price of long-term compounding. Across the 15 major systemic shocks where Exxon Mobil (XOM) traded, the stock posted an average drawdown of -15%. For context, the S&P 500 averaged a -16% decline during those same periods.
If you are an investor in XOM stock, you might be asking: if the macroeconomic environment fractures, how far can this stock actually fall?
One of the ways to understand this is to simply see how the stock has performed during past market crashes.
How Does It Handle Growth & Demand Scare?
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2020 COVID-19 Crash (Feb 2020 to Apr 2020)
- A novel coronavirus triggered pandemic fears. Italy’s healthcare collapse and a March 2020 Saudi-Russia oil price war signaled uncontainable disruption.
- Governments shut economies, triggering the fastest bear market in history. Unlimited QE and $2.2T fiscal stimulus drove a V-shaped recovery following vaccine development.
XOM stock experienced -48% drawdown during this event, compared to -34% for the S&P and -0.7% for bonds.
What Happens During Credit & Liquidity Crises?
2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis (Dec 2007 to Mar 2009)
- Excess housing leverage unwound, triggered by Lehman Brothers’ September 15, 2008 bankruptcy. No bailout froze global financial plumbing overnight, shattering assumptions of institutional rescue.
- Commercial paper collapsed and money markets broke the buck. Banks stopped lending as unemployment hit 10%. Oil crashed to $35/bbl on evaporating demand.
XOM stock saw -33% drawdown vs -53% for the S&P and None for bonds.
How It Fares During Sovereign & Geopolitical Risk?
2011 US Debt Ceiling Crisis & European Contagion (Jul 2011 to Oct 2011)
- U.S. political paralysis caused the first S&P AAA credit downgrade on August 5. Simultaneously, Italy and Spain bond yields spiked, raising breakup risks.
- Dysfunction triggered a risk-off flight into Treasuries and gold. European banks faced dollar funding stress, and the Fed reopened currency swap lines to the ECB.
The drawdown for XOM stood at -20% compared to -18% for the S&P and -1.1% for bonds.
Past Market Shock Drawdowns Summarized For XOM
| Shock Event | S&P | Bonds | Sector | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2007 Credit Crunch | -8.6% | None | -11% | -9.6% |
| 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis | -53% | None | -52% | -33% |
| 2010 Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis / Flash Crash | -15% | None | -20% | -18% |
| 2011 US Debt Ceiling Crisis & European Contagion | -18% | -1.1% | -29% | -20% |
| 2013 Taper Tantrum | -0.2% | -17% | None | -1.3% |
| 2014-2016 Oil Price Collapse | -6.8% | -5.0% | -45% | -29% |
| 2015-2016 China Devaluation / Global Growth Scare | -12% | -4.4% | -24% | -13% |
| 2016-2017 Trump Reflation Bond Selloff | -3.7% | -15% | -6.7% | -6.0% |
| Q4 2018 Fed Policy Error / Growth Scare | -19% | -2.2% | -30% | -23% |
| 2020 COVID-19 Crash | -34% | -0.7% | -56% | -48% |
| 2022 Fed Tightening Inflation Bear Market | -24% | -35% | None | None |
| 2023 SVB Regional Banking Crisis | -6.7% | -4.3% | -14% | -15% |
| Summer-Fall 2023 Five Percent Yield Shock | -9.5% | -17% | -5.0% | -5.6% |
| 2024 Yen Carry Trade Unwind | -7.8% | -1.2% | -3.3% | None |
| 2025 US Tariff Shock | -19% | -3.8% | -16% | -9.4% |
[1] Summer 2007 Credit Crunch: Subprime hedge fund failures froze interbank lending, prompting an emergency Fed rate cut.
[2] 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis: Lehman’s collapse froze global credit, crashing every asset class and spiking unemployment.
[3] 2010 Eurozone Sovereign Debt Crisis / Flash Crash: Greece’s deficit revelation collapsed European banks and triggered the May Flash Crash.
[4] 2011 US Debt Ceiling Crisis & European Contagion: US credit downgrade and European sovereign stress triggered a broad risk-off selloff.
[5] 2013 Taper Tantrum: Bernanke’s taper hint spiked Treasury yields, triggering emerging market capital flight.
[6] 2014-2016 Oil Price Collapse: OPEC refused to cut output, crashing crude from $100 to $26.
[7] 2015-2016 China Devaluation / Global Growth Scare: Yuan devaluation sparked global recession fears, crushing cyclicals and emerging markets.
[8] 2016-2017 Trump Reflation Bond Selloff: Trump’s election spurred fiscal stimulus hopes, rotating capital from bonds into cyclicals.
[9] Q4 2018 Fed Policy Error / Growth Scare: Powell’s hawkish comments and trade war fears triggered the worst December since 1931.
[10] 2020 COVID-19 Crash: Pandemic lockdowns caused history’s fastest bear market before massive stimulus drove recovery.
[11] 2022 Fed Tightening Inflation Bear Market: 9.1% CPI forced aggressive rate hikes, crushing both stocks and bonds simultaneously.
[12] 2023 SVB Regional Banking Crisis: SVB’s rate-driven bond losses triggered a social-media bank run, seized by FDIC.
[13] Summer-Fall 2023 Five Percent Yield Shock: Strong economic data pushed 10-year yields to 5%, compressing yield-sensitive sector valuations.
[14] 2024 Yen Carry Trade Unwind: BOJ rate hike unwound yen carry trades, briefly crashing tech stocks globally.
[15] 2025 US Tariff Shock: 145% China tariffs crashed equities and the dollar on supply chain disruption fears.
So What Can You Do For Your Investments?
Ultimately, surviving a market crash requires knowing what breaks your specific holdings. For XOM, the kryptonite is clearly Growth & Demand Scare. By sizing your positions with these specific drawdowns in mind, you can remove emotion from the equation entirely.
Adopting objective and rule-based portfolio management is the most effective way to protect capital when the macro environment inevitably fractures again. Trefis High Quality Portfolio is designed with such principles in mind, and has returned > 105% since inception.