Investezo › Gold years › 2008
Gold (XAUUSD) in 2008: daily moves, range and the biggest days
2008 was one of the 5 widest-range years for gold between 2005 and 2024. Gold closed the year up 4.21% at US$866.80. Its median daily range was 2.464%, about US$21.40, and it moved 2% or more on 66 of 258 days.
Key numbers
| Trading days counted | 258 |
| Year change (last close vs last close of 2007) | +4.21% |
| Last close of the year (31 Dec 2008) | US$866.80 |
| Median daily move (close to close, either way) | 1.18% |
| Median daily range (high to low) | 2.464% · US$21.40 |
| Days with a move of 1% or more | 144 |
| Days with a move of 2% or more | 66 |
| Days with a move of 3% or more | 24 |
| Days with a move of 5% or more | 6 |
| Up days / down days | 132 / 125 |
The biggest days
| Date | Move | US$ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best day | 17 Sep 2008 | +10.99% | US$85.50 |
| Worst day | 10 Oct 2008 | -6.94% | -US$63.40 |
| Widest high-low range | 10 Oct 2008 | 11.45% | US$104.50 |
How 2008 compares with 2005–2024
| 2008 | Median of 20 years | Rank (1 = highest) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median daily range % | 2.464% | 1.25% | 1st of 20 |
| Days with 2%+ moves | 66 | 11.5 | 1st of 20 |
| Largest one-day move | 10.99% | 4% | 1st of 20 |
| Median daily range in US$ | US$21.40 | – | 6th of 20 |
Weekend gaps in 2008
Weekend gaps are counted from 2015 on, so this page has no gap figures for 2008.
What these numbers mean for an EA
A 2% move at the 2008 year-end price of US$866.80 is about US$17.34. In 2008 gold moved that much or more on 66 days out of 258. A grid or martingale EA that adds trades against the move carries the full move as open loss until price comes back, so the days in the table above are the days its floating drawdown was tested. You can enter a move of this size in the grid calculator to see the open loss for your own lot and spacing, or check a live record against daily and max loss limits with the Prop Firm Rule Check.
Questions
How much did gold move on a normal day in 2008?
The median close-to-close move was 1.18% and the median high-low range was 2.464% (US$21.40).
What was gold's biggest day in 2008?
The best day was 17 Sep 2008 (+10.99%) and the worst day was 10 Oct 2008 (-6.94%).
Did gold go up or down in 2008?
Up: the last close of 2008 was US$866.80, +4.21% against the last close of 2007.