I'll look up Google's ticker and then load the relevant data to analyze its performance during recession years.The major U.S. recession periods in recent history include the 2008 financial crisis (Great Recession), and the 2020 COVID recession. Let me also include the 2001 dot-com recession, though Google IPO'd in August 2004. Let me load Google's price data from its IPO and examine it against recession periods.Now let me compute the performance during recession years. I'll mark the key recession periods:

• Great Recession: Dec 2007 – Jun 2009
• COVID Recession: Feb 2020 – Apr 2020

I'll create a chart that highlights these recession periods.Now let me chart the full price history with recession periods annotated via the chart. Let me show this as a clear chart.

Loading chart...Here's Google's (Alphabet) stock performance since its 2004 IPO. The key recession periods and how the stock behaved:

Google (GOOGL) During Recessions

Great Recession (Dec 2007 – Jun 2009)

Google's stock dropped from roughly $14.50 (split-adjusted) to around $6.50 — a peak-to-trough decline of about 55%. The company was still growing revenue, but multiple compression hit hard as the advertising market contracted. It recovered fully by late 2009 and went on to rally sharply through the 2010s.

COVID Recession (Feb – Apr 2020)

A sharp but short-lived drawdown of roughly 30% in about five weeks, bottoming around late March 2020. The stock then surged to new all-time highs within months as digital advertising spending accelerated with the shift to remote work and e-commerce.

Key Takeaway

Google got hit hard in both recessions — advertising is cyclical — but in each case the stock not only recovered, it went on to significantly higher levels. The Great Recession drawdown was deeper and longer, while the COVID drawdown was sharp and fleeting.