Silver & Industrial Demand - My thoughts as a long-time holder
- •Been seeing a lot of chatter lately about industrial demand and how it's gonna affect silver prices.
- •We’re talking a few million tied up in this stuff, so I’m always evaluating the landscape.
- •The whole green energy push, EVs, solar panels, 5G… it all screams silver, right?
Been seeing a lot of chatter lately about industrial demand and how it's gonna affect silver prices. As someone who's had a pretty significant chunk of their portfolio in precious metals for decades now – even more so since I retired from the Street a few years back – this is always top of mind for me. We’re talking a few million tied up in this stuff, so I’m always evaluating the landscape. I’m based in New York, and frankly, the vibe here isn’t always bullish on physical assets, so I’m constantly doing my own due diligence, rather than trusting the mainstream narratives.
The whole green energy push, EVs, solar panels, 5G… it all screams silver, right? I remember pulling some numbers a while back on the Silver vs Stocks tool (I usually set it to 10 year periods to get a good read). The outperformance of silver at certain points has been absolutely wild compared to the broader market, and a lot of that, I feel, was driven by these evolving industrial needs. But then you also have periods where it just… stagnates, even with all these technological advancements. It makes you wonder if the market is accurately pricing in future demand sometimes, or if there's always a lag.
My concern, and I’m genuinely curious to hear what you all think, is whether new technologies might eventually find ways to reduce the amount of silver needed per unit, or even replace it entirely for some applications. Are we hitting a peak industrial demand, or is this just the beginning? I’ve weathered a few recessions and market corrections already, and my conviction in hard assets has only grown, but the industrial angle for silver specifically feels like it has its own unique set of variables.
What are your long-term projections for industrial silver demand? Are you factoring in potential substitution or efficiency gains, or do you believe the sheer volume of new applications will outweigh those factors? I’m talking raw tonnage demand here, not just price speculation based on current news cycles. Give me your grounded opinions.