Credit: Creative Commons/Mauro Cateb
Silver has real industrial uses that transcend the microchips and mobile device technology that found popularity around the turn of the millennium. Continue reading
Silver Bars
The silver investment that most people make has been pretty stable, but people are getting concerned that they are not going to get the same returns they did at one time. Continue reading
Buying silver is anytime more preferable compared to other metals such as gold and platinum due to its relative cheapness which allows you to buy more of the metal.
Moreover, while inflation will depreciate the value of paper currencies, it will escalate the value of hard currencies such as silver. The present economic crisis is presenting a story of devaluation of currencies which holds true for U.S. dollar as well. The value of dollar today in terms of purchasing power, may not be the same in the near future. Continue reading
Weak global economy has had negative effects on markets of almost every commodity. But, the market of silver, a commodity considered as one of the precious metals, is flourishing like never before!
Investors are looking at silver investments as safe haven. The global investment community is now relying more on silver investments than on any other type of investments. And so, the prices on silver have been raising high in the sky! Continue reading
Today’s fashion trends show that silver jewelry is highly in demand, much more than the gold jewelry. Considering the fact that the prices on silver are far less than those on gold, silver jewelry is sure to hypnotize the world for many years more, say the experts in silver and fashion industry.
And hence, silver jewelry business is going to yield attractive returns and success. Continue reading
Silver coins
The silver prices after soaring to $50 are now shuttling in the narrow margin from $32 to $36 per ounce. It is difficult to forecast the future of silver prices in the immediate term. However, there are several reasons that silver prices may spell well for investors in the medium and long term considering the several factors affecting silver prices.
The inherent qualities of silver such as being a good lubricant, good conductor of electricity, heat transferring agent and a light reflector had made silver a much demanded metal for industrial purposes. There has been a tumultuous decrease for this demand in the last couple of years.
In an investing guide released by Jeff Clark, he states that the demand for silver from industries has fallen flat in the last few years. Demand for silver in home items for uses such as flatware, cutlery has not grown over the period of last ten years. With the advent of digital storing and photographing, the use of silver in photography is negligible.
In spite of these adverse situations surrounding silver the demand for silver continues to soar. A study by GFMS Ltd for The Silver Institute reveals that the demand for silver will rise from 487.4 million ounces to 665.9 million ounces by the year 2015.
This rise of silver demand is estimated to come from new uses of silver in industries. The consumption of silver for electronics has risen by 120 percent. The use of silver in solar panels and biocides has also increased considerably.
Use of silver in electronics and electricity
As silver is a high thermal and electric conductor it is used for a wide variety of electronic applications. A large portion of silver is used in constructing multi-layer ceramic capacitors, which are widely used in consumer goods. These are also used in cell phones and considering the booming cell phone industry it is reasonable to assume that the demand for silver in this sector will continue to grow. The demand for silver contacts in the automobile industry is expected to rise with the growth of the industry. Silver contacts are used for joining electrical circuits in automobiles. Silver contacts are now even widely used even in windshield wipers to controlling the navigation system of seats.
Use of silver in solar power
The use of silver in solar panels is responsible for a large amount of the demand in silver. The use of silver in solar is expected to increase as the countries around the globe have now realised the dangers of nuclear power after the tsunami that hit Japan. The use of silver in solar panels is not a novel concept and has been is use for some time. However the political and financial goodwill was lacking earlier which is now present. Therefore a large portion of silver demand is expected to come from this industry. The market for this industry is strong in Europe, China, United States and India. Israel, Egypt and Morocco are geared to follow on a minor scale. This scenario has prompted the analysts to predict the rise of silver demand well over the estimated forecast.
Use of silver as a biocide
Silver was for the first time used as a biocide in 2002. Silver has prominent anti-bacterial qualities and the use of silver as biocides has grown over six times its previous use.