Investezo › Gold years › 2020
Gold (XAUUSD) in 2020: daily moves, range and the biggest days
2020 was a middle year for gold's daily range between 2005 and 2024 (8th widest of 20). Gold closed the year up 24.53% at US$1,893.43. Its median daily range was 1.384%, about US$24.94, and it moved 2% or more on 20 of 259 days.
Key numbers
| Trading days counted | 259 |
| Year change (last close vs last close of 2019) | +24.53% |
| Last close of the year (31 Dec 2020) | US$1,893.43 |
| Median daily move (close to close, either way) | 0.624% |
| Median daily range (high to low) | 1.384% · US$24.94 |
| Days with a move of 1% or more | 68 |
| Days with a move of 2% or more | 20 |
| Days with a move of 3% or more | 9 |
| Days with a move of 5% or more | 1 |
| Up days / down days | 150 / 109 |
The biggest days
| Date | Move | US$ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best day | 24 Mar 2020 | +4.7% | US$72.94 |
| Worst day | 11 Aug 2020 | -5.67% | -US$115.04 |
| Widest high-low range | 11 Aug 2020 | 6.35% | US$128.67 |
How 2020 compares with 2005–2024
| 2020 | Median of 20 years | Rank (1 = highest) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median daily range % | 1.384% | 1.25% | 8th of 20 |
| Days with 2%+ moves | 20 | 11.5 | 7th of 20 |
| Largest one-day move | 5.67% | 4% | 4th of 20 |
| Median daily range in US$ | US$24.94 | – | 2nd of 20 |
Weekend gaps in 2020
Gold had 50 weekend gaps in this data in 2020. The median gap was 0.141% either way. 6 gaps were 0.5% or more and 2 were 1% or more; 25 opened higher and 25 lower. The largest came after Friday 3 Jan 2020: +1.58% (US$24.45).
What these numbers mean for an EA
A 2% move at the 2020 year-end price of US$1,893.43 is about US$37.87. In 2020 gold moved that much or more on 20 days out of 259. 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 2020?
The median close-to-close move was 0.624% and the median high-low range was 1.384% (US$24.94).
What was gold's biggest day in 2020?
The best day was 24 Mar 2020 (+4.7%) and the worst day was 11 Aug 2020 (-5.67%).
Did gold go up or down in 2020?
Up: the last close of 2020 was US$1,893.43, +24.53% against the last close of 2019.