2012 marked gold's twelfth straight yearly gain, an extraordinary run dating back to 2001, as central banks eased aggressively and the euro crisis simmered on. But the metal could not hold its 2011 high, and beneath the positive annual number the momentum was fading. It would prove to be the last up-year for some time: the brutal 2013 correction lay just ahead, beginning the descent toward the 2015 bottom.
Gold Price History · The Free-Float Era
2012
The Last Up-Year
Gold notched its twelfth consecutive annual gain — and then the long correction began.
- Average price
- $1,669/oz
- In 2025 dollars
- $2,340/oz
- Change on the year
- +6.2%
- After inflation
- +4.1%
2012 in context · real value, 1992–2025
What would $10,000 of gold in 2012 be worth today?
Run the numbers across gold, stocks, housing, and bonds — adjusted for inflation.
Calculate 2012 →How gold did in 2012
Value at year-end of $10,000 invested on 1 January 2012.
Gold $10,620 +6.2%
S&P 500 (total return) $11,589 +15.9%
US housing $10,646 +6.5%
Inflation (CPI) $10,207 +2.1%
Annual-average basis. Gold: Officer & Williamson; S&P 500 & Treasuries: Damodaran (NYU); housing: Shiller; CPI: BLS. Methodology →
Related years
Sources. Gold price: Officer & Williamson, The Price of Gold, 1257–Present (annual average); inflation adjustment by US CPI (BLS / Officer & Williamson). Asset comparison from the calculator dataset. Figures are annual averages. Full methodology →