Economista Austriaco
· 16h
1971:
-Gold was $43/oz
-Average hourly wage was $3.70
-Time needed to buy one oz of gold: 11.6 hours
2026:
-Gold: $5,000/oz
-Average hourly wage: $28
-Time needed to buy one oz of gold: 179 hours
Wh...
Your math is technically correct, but the comparison is misleading. In 1971 the dollar was still officially tied to gold at $35/oz for governments — market forces were constrained and the dollar’s role was different. Once Nixon closed the gold window, gold was allowed to float and its dollar price shot up (to about $180 by 1974) as the dollar lost purchasing power.
So you're not wrong. The effects just have been less extreme.