Gold Price in 1987

In 1987, the price of gold averaged $447 per troy ounce, up 21.5% from the year before. This page covers the 1987 average, high, low, and year-end close, the events that moved the market, and what that gold would be worth in today's dollars.

1987 Average

$447

LBMA annual average, USD/oz

Change vs 1986

+21.5%

from $368 in 1986

1987 High

$507

from daily trading data

1987 Low

$391

from daily trading data

Year-End Close

$489

last trading day of 1987

What happened to the gold price in 1987

Gold averaged $447 per troy ounce in 1987, climbing 21.5% from the $368 average of 1986. Daily trading data shows gold moved between a low of $391 and a high of $507 during the year, ending 1987 at $489. The notable development of 1987: Black Monday stock crash.

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 1987 average of $447 equals about $1,268 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 1987?

Gold averaged $447 per troy ounce in 1987, based on LBMA annual average data. Daily prices ranged from a low of $391 to a high of $507, and the year closed at $489. That average was up 21.5% from $368 in 1986.

What is a 1987 gold price worth in today's dollars?

Adjusted with the US Consumer Price Index, gold's 1987 average of $447 works out to roughly $1,268 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.

What moved the gold price in 1987?

The defining story of 1987: Black Monday stock crash. Against that backdrop, the annual average climbed 21.5%, from $368 in 1986 to $447.

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.