S&P 500 in 1976

The S&P 500 rose 19.1% in 1976, from 90.19 at the end of 1975 to 107.46. Its highest close was 107.83 on Sep 21, and its lowest 90.90 on Jan 2. The biggest one-day fall was −1.8% on May 24 and the biggest rise +1.8% on Jan 5. Adjusted for inflation, it gained 13.6%.

Change in 1976

+19.1%

90.19 → 107.46

High

107.83

Sep 21

Low

90.90

Jan 2

After inflation

+13.6%

US CPI

Up days

135 of 253

longest run 7 up, 7 down

Below record

-10.6%

at the end of 1976

S&P 500, daily closes 1976

Numbers mark the events below

Key Events in 1976

What happened, and how the S&P 500 moved — on the day (or the next trading day) and about a month later.

1
Monday, January 5 From the data

Biggest one-day rise of the year: +1.8%.
2
Monday, May 24 From the data

Biggest one-day fall of the year: −1.8%.
3
Tuesday, August 31

Vanguard launches the First Index Investment Trust, the first retail index fund. Source

S&P 500: +0.8% that day · +3.2% a month later
4
Tuesday, November 2

Jimmy Carter is elected US president. Source

S&P 500: −1.1% next trading day (Nov 3) · −1.0% a month later

Biggest days of 1976

Best days		Worst days
Jan 5	+1.8%	May 24	−1.8%
Jan 14	+1.6%	Feb 26	−1.6%
Jan 29	+1.6%	Nov 5	−1.6%
Jun 17	+1.6%	Feb 5	−1.5%
Feb 19	+1.6%	Sep 28	−1.3%

Volatility: 11.1% (annualised standard deviation of daily changes).

Month by month

Month	Close	Change	High	Low
Jan	100.86	+11.8%	100.86	90.90
Feb	99.71	−1.1%	102.10	99.05
Mar	102.77	+3.1%	103.42	98.92
Apr	101.64	−1.1%	103.51	100.20
May	100.18	−1.4%	103.10	99.34
Jun	104.28	+4.1%	104.28	98.63
Jul	103.44	−0.8%	105.95	102.93
Aug	102.91	−0.5%	104.80	101.27
Sep	105.24	+2.3%	107.83	103.92
Oct	102.90	−2.2%	104.17	99.96
Nov	102.10	−0.8%	103.15	98.81
Dec	107.46	+5.2%	107.46	102.12

Other Markets in 1976

Change over the calendar year.

Market	Change	Year-end
S&P 500	+19.1%	107.46
Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1976	+17.9%	1,004.65
Nasdaq Composite in 1976	+26.1%	97.88
Gold in 1976	−4.1%	$134.50
Silver in 1976	+4.2%	$4.36
US 10-year Treasury yield in 1976	−0.95 pp	6.81%

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

S&P 500 in 1976: FAQ

How much did the S&P 500 rise in 1976?

What were the highest and lowest closes of the S&P 500 in 1976?

Highest: 107.83 on September 21, 1976. Lowest: 90.90 on January 2, 1976. It closed higher on 135 of 253 trading days.

What happened to the S&P 500 on November 2, 1976?

Jimmy Carter is elected US president. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% on the next trading day (November 3, 1976), and was −1.0% a month later.

Data: Daily closes since 1950 (price index, excluding dividends). Price index: dividends are not included. Inflation: US CPI-U. Events marked "From the data" are found automatically from the closing prices; the others are researched, with the source linked. Not investment advice.

Cite this page

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APA 7

Corgano. (2026, November 1). S&P 500 in 1976. Corgano Gold Price. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1976

MLA 9

“S&P 500 in 1976.” Corgano Gold Price, goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1976. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Chicago

Corgano. “S&P 500 in 1976.” Corgano Gold Price. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1976.

BibTeX

@misc{corgano2026sp500in1976, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {S&P 500 in 1976}, howpublished = {\url{https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1976}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Gold Price, accessed 2026-11-01}}

Link

S&P 500 in 1976 — Corgano Gold Price: https://goldprice.corgano.com/market-history/sp-500/1976