Silver has risen in price by more than 12% this year, and there should be further to go. Industrial applications make up around 55% of overall silver demand; they range from medicine (the metal has anti-bacterial properties) to solar panels. Thanks to the solar industry in particular, overall industrial demand growth expanded by 3% last year and is set for a similar expansion in 2017, reckons Bloomberg.com.
Meanwhile, jewellery accounts for a fifth of demand, while the rest stems from physical silver and silver-backed exchange-traded funds. Silver is a monetary metal and a traditional store of value like gold, so it tends to benefit from the same trends as the yellow metal. One that bodes well is the return of inflation.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
-
Rightmove: Asking prices set to rise 2% in 2026 after post-Budget market reboundBuyers and sellers who held off in anticipation of the Budget will come back to the market and contribute to asking prices increasing next year, according to Rightmove
-
Coreweave is on borrowed timeAI infrastructure firm Coreweave is heading for trouble and is absurdly pricey, says Matthew Partridge
