Decade in Review

Gold Price in the 2000s

The bull market is born: a weak dollar, the dot-com and 9/11 shocks, the first gold ETFs and the 2008 financial crisis carried gold from a 20-year low past $1,000 for the first time.

Gold price in the 2000s — yearly average, USD / oz2000–2009

$ 160$ 545$ 929$ 1,314

200020022004200620082009

The gold line is the yearly average price in US dollars per troy ounce through the 2000s; the shaded band shows each year’s high-to-low range. Figures are approximate annual values for educational analysis.

Decade Open$ 290.00

Decade Close$ 1,096.00

Decade Change+277.93%

High (2009)$ 1,218.00

Low (2001)$ 256.00

Best Year (2007)+31.00%

Every year in the 2000s

2009+23.40% ↑

Closed $ 1,096.00 · High $ 1,218.00 · Low $ 810.00Gold rose about 23% in 2009, closing above $1,000 for the first time as the world recovered from the financial crisis amid huge stimulus.

2008+4.30% ↑

Closed $ 870.00 · High $ 1,011.00 · Low $ 712.00A wild year: gold first topped $1,000 in March, then plunged in the financial-crisis liquidity panic before recovering to finish higher.

2007+31.00% ↑

Closed $ 833.00 · High $ 841.00 · Low $ 608.00Gold jumped about 31% in 2007 as the US subprime crisis erupted, the Fed began cutting rates and the dollar slid to record lows.

2006+23.00% ↑

Closed $ 636.00 · High $ 725.00 · Low $ 525.00Gold surged to a 26-year high near $725 in May 2006 before a sharp summer correction left it up about 23% for the year.

2005+18.00% ↑

Closed $ 513.00 · High $ 537.00 · Low $ 411.00Gold rose about 18% in 2005, a breakout year in which it rallied in every major currency, not just a weak dollar.

2004+5.50% ↑

Closed $ 438.00 · High $ 454.00 · Low $ 375.00Gold gained about 5% in a choppy 2004, supported by a weak dollar and the launch of the first US gold ETF.

2003+19.60% ↑

Closed $ 416.00 · High $ 416.00 · Low $ 320.00Gold climbed about 20% in 2003 as the Iraq war, a weak dollar and rock-bottom interest rates drove safe-haven and investment demand.

2002+24.70% ↑

Closed $ 348.00 · High $ 349.00 · Low $ 278.00Gold rose about 25% in 2002 — its first big year of the new bull market — as the dollar peaked and stocks slumped after the dot-com crash.

2001+2.50% ↑

Closed $ 277.00 · High $ 293.00 · Low $ 256.00Gold bottomed and turned higher in 2001, ending a 20-year bear market as the dot-com bust and the 9/11 attacks revived safe-haven demand.

2000-5.90% ↓

Closed $ 273.00 · High $ 313.00 · Low $ 263.00Gold drifted about 6% lower in 2000, near the tail end of its long bear market, as the dot-com mania kept investors focused on stocks.

Written & reviewed by Muhammad Salman Saleem

Founder & Editor · Prices are checked against the international spot benchmark and refreshed through the trading day. Educational information only — not financial advice.

Gold in the 2000s: the big picture

The 2000s were the decade gold came roaring back to life. It began quietly, with the metal still near its multi-decade lows, but a series of shocks steadily rebuilt its appeal: the bursting of the dot-com bubble, the September 11 attacks and a US dollar that slid for years against other currencies.

A financial innovation poured fuel on the fire. The launch of the first gold exchange-traded funds in 2003–04 made owning gold as easy as buying a share, unleashing a wave of new investment. Year after year gold climbed — through $500, $700 and, in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, above $1,000 an ounce for the first time in history.

By the close of the decade, the money-printing unleashed to fight the crisis had set gold up for its final, spectacular surge. What had been a forgotten relic in 2000 was, by 2009, one of the best-performing assets of the decade.

What drove gold in the 2000s

A multi-year decline in the US dollar lifted dollar-priced gold.
The dot-com crash and the 9/11 attacks revived safe-haven demand.
The first gold ETFs (2003–04) opened the metal to a new wave of investors.
Gold first broke $1,000 an ounce during the 2008 financial crisis.

Gold in the 2000s: FAQ

What was the highest gold price in the 2000s?

Gold's high in the 2000s was about $ 1,218.00 per troy ounce, reached in 2009.

What was the lowest gold price in the 2000s?

Gold's low in the 2000s was about $ 256.00 per troy ounce, in 2001.

Did gold rise or fall over the 2000s?

Gold rose about 278% across the 2000s, from roughly $ 290.00 at the start to $ 1,096.00 at the end. Its best year was 2007 (+31.00%) and its worst was 2000 (-5.90%).

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Historical figures are approximate annual values shown for educational analysis and may differ from other sources. This is not financial advice — see our disclaimer.

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