Copper Price in 1989
In 1989, the price of copper averaged $1.29 per pound, up 9.3% from the year before. This page covers the 1989 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that copper would be worth in today's dollars.
1989 Average
$1.29
LME/COMEX annual average, USD/lb
Change vs 1988
+9.3%
from $1.18 in 1988
1989 High
$1.54
from daily trading data
1989 Low
$1.02
from daily trading data
Year-End Close
$1.06
last trading day of 1989
What happened to the copper price in 1989
Copper averaged $1.29 per pound in 1989, up 9.3% from $1.18 the year before. Daily trading data shows copper moved between a low of $1.02 and a high of $1.54 during the year, ending 1989 at $1.06.
The 1980s were mostly difficult for copper. Volcker's rate hikes, a deep early-decade recession, and the Latin American debt crisis kept prices depressed for years before a late-decade surge on strong global demand pushed copper back above a dollar.
Adjusted for inflation, copper's 1989 average of $1.29 equals about $3.35 in today's dollars. The conversion uses US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the price of copper in 1989?
What is a 1989 copper price worth in today's dollars?
Annual averages are LME and COMEX copper prices per pound in US dollars. Where shown, the yearly high, low, and close come from MetalCharts daily historical data and may differ slightly from figures published elsewhere. Inflation adjustments use BLS CPI-U annual averages.