Gold Historical Returns · Time Machine
Gold Historical Returns
How has gold actually performed? Pick any past date and any amount, and see today's value, your total gain, and the annualized return. Plus the all-time high, the days since it was set, and the five worst drawdowns gold has ever endured.
All-Time High Tracker
All-Time High
$5,318.40
USD per troy oz
Set On
29 Jan
2026
Days Since
250
since the high
Today vs ATH
−22.23%
below the high
Time Machine — What Would Your Gold Be Worth Today?
Pick any amount and any past date to see what would have happened if you'd bought gold then. The calculator works against the entire price history from 1971 to today.
Today's Value
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Gain / Loss
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Annualized Return
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Buy price on — was — per troy oz. Comparison uses the closest available trading day to your selected date.
The Five Worst Gold Drawdowns Ever Recorded
A drawdown is the maximum decline from a peak before a new high is set. These are gold's worst peak-to-trough declines since 1971 — useful context for anyone considering gold as a long-term hold.
| # | Peak | Trough | Drawdown | Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 1980 $615 | Mar 2001 $258 | −58.1% | Apr 2006 |
| 2 | Aug 2011 $1,829 | Dec 2015 $1,060 | −42.0% | Jul 2020 |
| 3 | Feb 2008 $972 | Oct 2008 $717 | −26.3% | May 2009 |
| 4 | Jan 2026 $5,318 | Jun 2026 $3,959 | −25.6% | Not yet |
| 5 | Jul 1975 $161 | Jul 1976 $125 | −22.5% | Jul 1978 |
Computed from 98148 gold spot price points spanning 1971–2026. Drawdowns shown are peak-to-trough percentage declines, ranked by magnitude.
For the full price journey, read Gold Price History — 50 Years of Data. To understand what drives the moves, see What Drives Gold Prices. To compare gold against other assets over the same period, use /compare.