Industrial Silver Demand - What are we missing for our IRAs?
- •But with all the talk about green energy, EVs, solar panels, and electronics, it just feels like the demand for silver is only going to skyrocket.
- •Are we, as Gold IRA investors, underestimating just how much this industrial consumption could drive up the price?
- •Or is that already priced in, and I'm just overthinking it?
Been thinking a lot lately about how industrial demand for silver plays into our Gold IRAs, especially for those of us who have some silver allocated. I mean, we all know the precious metal side of it, hedging against inflation, etc., but the industrial component feels like it's a whole other ballgame and one that frankly, I don't hear discussed enough when we talk about our retirement holdings.
As a secretary for an oil company here in Tulsa, I hear the executives talk about commodities all the time, and the industrial side of things is always a huge factor in their projections. When I started building my own IRA a few years back, initially with about $120k and now sitting closer to $210k, I made sure to allocate some to silver based on that dual nature. But with all the talk about green energy, EVs, solar panels, and electronics, it just feels like the demand for silver is only going to skyrocket. Are we, as Gold IRA investors, underestimating just how much this industrial consumption could drive up the price?
My concern is that we're so focused on the geopolitical stuff or inflation numbers (which are obviously important for gold), that we're not truly accounting for the persistent, growing demand from manufacturing. If industrial needs continue to grow at this pace, won't it eventually put a significant squeeze on supply, driving prices much higher than what we might predict just looking at investment demand? Or is that already priced in, and I'm just overthinking it?
What are your thoughts on this? For those of you with significant silver holdings in your IRAs, how much weight do you give to the industrial demand aspect versus its role as a monetary metal? And for those who DON'T hold silver, is the industrial demand a factor at all in your decision-making?