Gold Price in 1981

The gold price fell 32.6% in 1981, from $589.75 at the end of 1980 to $397.50. Its highest close was $599.20 on Jan 6, and its lowest $391.25 on Aug 4. The biggest one-day fall was −6.4% on Sep 28 and the biggest rise +4.2% on Apr 22. Adjusted for inflation, it lost 38.1%.

Change in 1981

−32.6%

$589.75 → $397.50

High

$599.20

Jan 6

Low

$391.25

Aug 4

After inflation

−38.1%

US CPI

Up days

116 of 249

longest run 5 up, 9 down

Below record

-53.2%

at the end of 1981

Gold Price, daily closes 1981

Numbers mark the events below

Key Events in 1981

What happened, and how the Gold moved — on the day (or the next trading day) and about a month later.

1
Tuesday, January 20

Ronald Reagan is inaugurated; Iran releases the 52 US hostages. Source

Gold: −0.8% that day · −11.6% a month later
2
Wednesday, April 22 From the data

Biggest one-day rise of the year: +4.2%.
3
Monday, September 28 From the data

Biggest one-day fall of the year: −6.4%.

Biggest days of 1981

Best days		Worst days
Apr 22	+4.2%	Sep 28	−6.4%
Aug 12	+4.1%	Jan 29	−5.7%
Feb 4	+3.9%	Mar 2	−4.8%
Sep 21	+3.7%	Jan 26	−4.4%
Sep 10	+3.6%	Apr 13	−4.0%

Volatility: 28.1% (annualised standard deviation of daily changes).

Month by month

Month	Close	Change	High	Low
Jan	$506.50	−14.1%	$599.20	$493.75
Feb	$489.00	−3.5%	$519.50	$486.25
Mar	$513.75	+5.1%	$539.50	$461.50
Apr	$482.70	−6.0%	$533.70	$473.70
May	$479.20	−0.7%	$493.00	$466.50
Jun	$426.00	−11.1%	$483.20	$426.00
Jul	$406.00	−4.7%	$422.00	$397.75
Aug	$425.00	+4.7%	$432.75	$391.25
Sep	$428.75	+0.9%	$463.50	$421.50
Oct	$427.00	−0.4%	$453.50	$424.50
Nov	$414.50	−2.9%	$431.25	$396.75
Dec	$397.50	−4.1%	$426.00	$395.00

Other Markets in 1981

Change over the calendar year.

Market	Change	Year-end
Gold Price	−32.6%	$397.50
Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1981	−9.2%	875.00
S&P 500 in 1981	−9.7%	122.55
Nasdaq Composite in 1981	−3.2%	195.84
Silver in 1981	−47.4%	$8.15
US 10-year Treasury yield in 1981	+1.55 pp	13.98%

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

Gold Price in 1981: FAQ

How much did the gold price fall in 1981?

What were the highest and lowest closes of the gold price in 1981?

Highest: $599.20 on January 6, 1981. Lowest: $391.25 on August 4, 1981. It closed higher on 116 of 249 trading days.

What happened to the gold price on January 20, 1981?

Ronald Reagan is inaugurated; Iran releases the 52 US hostages. The gold price fell 0.8% that day, and was −11.6% a month later.

Data: London PM fix (LBMA) from 1968 to Sep 2017, COMEX gold futures closes after that. Before 1968 the official US price: $20.67 until Oct 1933, $35 from 31 Jan 1934. Inflation: US CPI-U. Events marked "From the data" are found automatically from the closing prices; the others are researched, with the source linked. Not investment advice.