Silver Price in 1970

The silver price fell 8.8% in 1970, from $1.79 at the end of 1969 to $1.63. Its highest close was $1.93 on Mar 5, and its lowest $1.57 on May 26. The biggest one-day fall was −4.7% on May 5 and the biggest rise +4.6% on May 6. Adjusted for inflation, it lost 13.6%.

Change in 1970

−8.8%

$1.79 → $1.63

High

$1.93

Mar 5

Low

$1.57

May 26

After inflation

−13.6%

US CPI

Up days

118 of 255

longest run 4 up, 6 down

Below record

-36.6%

at the end of 1970

Silver Price, daily closes 1970

Numbers mark the events below

Key Events in 1970

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

1
Thursday, January 1

IMF makes the first allocation of Special Drawing Rights. Source

Silver: +0.5% next trading day (Jan 2) · +6.8% a month later
2
Tuesday, May 5 From the data

Biggest one-day fall of the year: −4.7%.
3
Wednesday, May 6 From the data

Biggest one-day rise of the year: +4.6%.
4
Tuesday, May 26 From the data

Enters a bear market: 20% below its peak of $2.00 (November 3, 1969).

Biggest days of 1970

Best days		Worst days
May 6	+4.6%	May 5	−4.7%
Oct 26	+3.5%	Nov 25	−3.5%
Dec 18	+3.5%	May 26	−3.4%
Jan 29	+2.8%	Apr 29	−3.0%
Dec 2	+2.7%	Dec 1	−2.8%

Volatility: 19.7% (annualised standard deviation of daily changes).

Month by month

Month	Close	Change	High	Low
Jan	$1.91	+6.8%	$1.92	$1.80
Feb	$1.90	−0.7%	$1.92	$1.87
Mar	$1.88	−1.1%	$1.93	$1.86
Apr	$1.72	−8.2%	$1.89	$1.72
May	$1.63	−5.4%	$1.75	$1.57
Jun	$1.61	−1.5%	$1.69	$1.61
Jul	$1.77	+10.0%	$1.78	$1.60
Aug	$1.84	+3.9%	$1.87	$1.73
Sep	$1.70	−7.4%	$1.87	$1.70
Oct	$1.78	+4.8%	$1.80	$1.71
Nov	$1.65	−7.3%	$1.82	$1.65
Dec	$1.63	−1.2%	$1.67	$1.58

Other Markets in 1970

Change over the calendar year.

Market	Change	Year-end
Silver Price	−8.8%	$1.63
Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1970	+4.8%	838.92
S&P 500 in 1970	+0.1%	92.15
Gold in 1970	+6.2%	$37.38
US 10-year Treasury yield in 1970	−1.38 pp	6.50%

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

Silver Price in 1970: FAQ

How much did the silver price fall in 1970?

What were the highest and lowest closes of the silver price in 1970?

Highest: $1.93 on March 5, 1970. Lowest: $1.57 on May 26, 1970. It closed higher on 118 of 255 trading days.

What happened to the silver price on January 1, 1970?

IMF makes the first allocation of Special Drawing Rights. The silver price rose 0.5% on the next trading day (January 2, 1970), and was +6.8% a month later.

Data: London silver fix from 1968 to Jan 2018 (gaps filled with Perth Mint spot), COMEX silver futures closes after that. 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.