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Gold (XAUUSD) in 2021: daily moves, range and the biggest days
2021 was a middle year for gold's daily range between 2005 and 2024 (14th widest of 20). Gold closed the year down 3.46% at US$1,827.95. Its median daily range was 1.167%, about US$20.95, and it moved 2% or more on 9 of 258 days.
Key numbers
| Trading days counted | 258 |
| Year change (last close vs last close of 2020) | -3.46% |
| Last close of the year (31 Dec 2021) | US$1,827.95 |
| Median daily move (close to close, either way) | 0.424% |
| Median daily range (high to low) | 1.167% · US$20.95 |
| Days with a move of 1% or more | 51 |
| Days with a move of 2% or more | 9 |
| Days with a move of 3% or more | 1 |
| Days with a move of 5% or more | 0 |
| Up days / down days | 132 / 126 |
The biggest days
| Date | Move | US$ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best day | 4 Jan 2021 | +2.63% | US$49.80 |
| Worst day | 8 Jan 2021 | -3.37% | -US$64.47 |
| Widest high-low range | 8 Jan 2021 | 4.66% | US$89.21 |
How 2021 compares with 2005–2024
| 2021 | Median of 20 years | Rank (1 = highest) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median daily range % | 1.167% | 1.25% | 14th of 20 |
| Days with 2%+ moves | 9 | 11.5 | 13th of 20 |
| Largest one-day move | 3.37% | 4% | 14th of 20 |
| Median daily range in US$ | US$20.95 | – | 7th of 20 |
Weekend gaps in 2021
Gold had 50 weekend gaps in this data in 2021. The median gap was 0.048% either way. 0 gaps were 0.5% or more and 0 were 1% or more; 28 opened higher and 22 lower. The largest came after Friday 29 Jan 2021: +0.43% (US$7.98).
What these numbers mean for an EA
A 2% move at the 2021 year-end price of US$1,827.95 is about US$36.56. In 2021 gold moved that much or more on 9 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 2021?
The median close-to-close move was 0.424% and the median high-low range was 1.167% (US$20.95).
What was gold's biggest day in 2021?
The best day was 4 Jan 2021 (+2.63%) and the worst day was 8 Jan 2021 (-3.37%).
Did gold go up or down in 2021?
Down: the last close of 2021 was US$1,827.95, -3.46% against the last close of 2020.