If I'd invested in gold since 1986
$1,000 put into gold at the end of 1986 would be worth about $10,803 today — a 10.8× return, or roughly 6.2% a year. Change the amount below to run your own number.
You'd have
$10,803
from $1,000 invested — up 980%.
The story behind the number
Gold since 1986 has been a remarkably smooth ride. $1,000 put in at the end of 1986 grew to $10,803 — a 10.8× return, or about 6.2% a year.
The ride mattered as much as the destination. The strongest single year was 1999, up 20%; the worst was 2008, down 17%.
Holding on took nerve: the position fell as much as 48% from its 1987 peak to its 1999 low, before climbing back above that high by 2003.
Common questions
- How much would I have if I'd invested $1,000 in gold in 1986?
- $1,000 invested in gold at the end of 1986 would be worth about $10,803 today — a 10.8× return, or roughly 6.2% per year.
- What were the best and worst years for gold since 1986?
- The best year was 1999, up about 20%. The toughest was 2008, when it fell about 17%. Across the window, 236 of 474 years finished lower than they started.
- What was the biggest drop along the way?
- The steepest decline was about 48%, from a peak in 1987 to a low in 1999, with the value recovering above its prior high by 2003.
The chart above shows the whole journey, not just the destination. Try switching to a bit each year to see how spreading your buying would have changed the outcome — or skip the latte to find out what a small daily habit could have grown into instead.
More gold scenarios
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