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Gold Price in 1986

In 1986, the price of gold averaged $368 per troy ounce, up 16.1% from the year before. This page covers the 1986 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that gold would be worth in today's dollars.

1986 Average

$368

LBMA annual average, USD/oz

Change vs 1985

+16.1%

from $317 in 1985

1986 High

$447

from daily trading data

1986 Low

$328

from daily trading data

Year-End Close

$407

last trading day of 1986

What happened to the gold price in 1986

Gold averaged $368 per troy ounce in 1986, climbing 16.1% from the $317 average of 1985. Daily trading data shows gold moved between a low of $328 and a high of $447 during the year, ending 1986 at $407.

The 1980s marked the start of a two-decade bear market for gold. Paul Volcker's aggressive interest rate hikes broke the back of inflation and pushed real yields sharply higher, pulling capital out of bullion and into bonds and equities.

Adjusted for inflation, gold's 1986 average of $368 equals about $1,082 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 gold in 1986?
Gold averaged $368 per troy ounce in 1986, based on LBMA annual average data. Daily prices ranged from a low of $328 to a high of $447, and the year closed at $407. That average was up 16.1% from $317 in 1985.
What is a 1986 gold price worth in today's dollars?
Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, gold's 1986 average of $368 works out to roughly $1,082 in today's dollars, using 2025 as the CPI base year. The conversion uses BLS CPI-U annual averages, so treat it as a close approximation rather than an exact figure.

Annual averages are LBMA prices per troy ounce 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.