SilverSI=F
Half industrial metal, half monetary asset — silver bridges two worlds.
Past week: -4.35%
30-day price
Where the chart sits — description, not prediction
Trading below both its 50-day ($75.03) and 200-day ($67.89) averages — the longer-term trend reads as down. 30-day range $63.88–$88.89; currently in the lower third of that range. RSI(14) 30 — momentum weak.
Computed from daily closing prices (Yahoo Finance), June 19, 2026. Compare all markets →
What is Silver?
Silver is a lustrous white metal with the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any element, making it indispensable to modern industry. It has been used as currency and jewelry for thousands of years alongside its industrial applications.
Industrial uses account for more than half of annual silver demand, with solar panels, electronics, brazing alloys, and medical applications being major consumers. Investment demand through coins, bars, and ETFs, plus jewelry and silverware, makes up most of the remainder.
What has moved Silver
Industrial and green-energy demand
Silver paste is a critical component in solar photovoltaic cells, and demand from this sector has grown as the energy transition accelerates. Electronics, 5G infrastructure, and electric-vehicle components also consume meaningful quantities of silver each year.
Linkage to gold
Silver prices are historically correlated with gold because many of the same investment and safe-haven flows affect both metals. Traders watch the gold-to-silver ratio — the ounces of silver needed to buy one ounce of gold — as a relative-value indicator.
Byproduct mine supply
A large share of silver is produced as a byproduct of mining copper, lead, and zinc. That means silver supply is partly set by activity in those other mining industries rather than by silver's own price.
Investment and speculative demand
Silver's smaller market relative to gold means that shifts in sentiment, ETF flows, or speculative futures positioning can produce proportionally larger price swings, contributing to its reputation for higher volatility than gold.
Notable moments
1980: the Hunt brothers' silver squeeze
Texan billionaires Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt accumulated a vast silver position through the late 1970s, driving the price from around $6 to a peak near $49 on January 18, 1980. Exchanges raised margins and imposed position limits; the price then collapsed in what became known as Silver Thursday.
1792: silver in the US dollar
The Coinage Act of 1792 defined the United States dollar in terms of both silver and gold, with the silver dollar containing 371.25 grains of pure silver. Silver remained central to American monetary policy through the nineteenth century, underpinning debates like the Free Silver movement of the 1890s.
2021: the retail squeeze attempt
In early 2021, retail investors coordinating on social media tried to spark a short squeeze in silver, buying heavily into coins and ETF shares. Spot prices briefly jumped above $29, but the attempt did not sustain — the silver market was far too large to be cornered the way a single small stock can.
Common questions
Why is silver more volatile than gold?
Silver's total market value is a fraction of gold's, so the same dollar volume of trading moves its price proportionally more. Its dual role as both an industrial and a monetary metal also means it can be hit by swings in economic sentiment and investor risk appetite at the same time.
What is the gold-to-silver ratio?
It expresses how many ounces of silver are needed to buy one ounce of gold at current prices. Some analysts read extreme levels as a sign one metal is relatively cheap or dear versus the other, though it is not a reliable standalone trading tool.
How does solar energy affect silver demand?
Silver paste is printed onto silicon wafers in solar cells to conduct electricity. As global solar installations have grown, this has become one of the largest single sources of industrial silver demand, tying part of silver's demand to energy policy and renewable investment cycles.
Is a COMEX silver future physically settled?
It can result in delivery of 5,000 troy ounces meeting exchange specifications, but the vast majority of contracts are closed or rolled before delivery. Participants who do want metal can let delivery occur through approved COMEX warehouses.