S&P 500 in 1978

The S&P 500 rose 1.1% in 1978, from 95.10 at the end of 1977 to 96.11. Its highest close was 106.99 on Sep 12, and its lowest 86.90 on Mar 6. The biggest one-day fall was −2.0% on Oct 31 and the biggest rise +4.0% on Nov 1. Adjusted for inflation, it lost 7.3%.

Change in 1978

+1.1%

95.10 → 96.11

High

106.99

Sep 12

Low

86.90

Mar 6

After inflation

−7.3%

US CPI

Up days

130 of 252

longest run 8 up, 9 down

Below record

-20.1%

at the end of 1978

S&P 500, daily closes 1978

Numbers mark the events below

Key Events in 1978

What happened, and how the S&P 500 moved — on the day (or the next trading day) and about a month later.

1
Tuesday, October 31 From the data

Biggest one-day fall of the year: −2.0%.
2
Wednesday, November 1 From the data

Biggest one-day rise of the year: +4.0%.

Biggest days of 1978

Best days		Worst days
Nov 1	+4.0%	Oct 31	−2.0%
Aug 2	+2.2%	Dec 18	−2.0%
Apr 14	+2.1%	Oct 16	−2.0%
Jun 5	+1.8%	Nov 13	−1.7%
Dec 22	+1.7%	Oct 27	−1.5%

Volatility: 12.6% (annualised standard deviation of daily changes).

Month by month

Month	Close	Change	High	Low
Jan	89.25	−6.2%	93.82	88.58
Feb	87.04	−2.5%	90.83	87.04
Mar	89.21	+2.5%	90.82	86.90
Apr	96.83	+8.5%	96.83	88.46
May	97.24	+0.4%	99.60	95.90
Jun	95.53	−1.8%	100.32	94.60
Jul	100.68	+5.4%	100.68	94.27
Aug	103.29	+2.6%	105.08	100.66
Sep	102.54	−0.7%	106.99	101.66
Oct	93.15	−9.2%	105.39	93.15
Nov	94.70	+1.7%	96.85	92.49
Dec	96.11	+1.5%	97.52	93.44

Other Markets in 1978

Change over the calendar year.

Market	Change	Year-end
S&P 500	+1.1%	96.11
Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1978	−3.1%	805.01
Nasdaq Composite in 1978	+12.3%	117.98
Gold in 1978	+37.0%	$226.00
Silver in 1978	+26.6%	$6.02
US 10-year Treasury yield in 1978	+1.37 pp	9.15%

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

S&P 500 in 1978: FAQ

How much did the S&P 500 rise in 1978?

What were the highest and lowest closes of the S&P 500 in 1978?

Highest: 106.99 on September 12, 1978. Lowest: 86.90 on March 6, 1978. It closed higher on 130 of 252 trading days.

Data: Daily closes since 1950 (price index, excluding dividends). Price index: dividends are not included. 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.