Silver is among the well-known precious metals traded as commodities. Although people can no longer use it as currency today, its price is still rising. The pricing depends on its use as an industrial metal or its role as a store of value. Hence, the price fluctuations in the silver market are way more volatile than other precious metals. Moreover, silver prices are cheaper than other precious metals like gold and palladium, making it a good asset and investment. 

So, if you’re new to precious metals investing and thinking of trading silver, read the information below to learn some of its fundamentals.  

What Is Silver Trading? 

As with other precious metals trading, silver trading is a process of speculating on the price of silver markets to profit from its price movement. Unlike the traditional investing method wherein you have to buy and hold silver bars or coins, silver trading allows traders to gain exposure to the silver market without physically buying the precious metal. For several years, this precious metal has maintained a good market demand as a currency, store of value, and investment. Indeed, apart from gold, silver is the most frequently traded asset due to its role in jewelry, tableware, and electronics.  

Moreover, traders and investors often seek refuge in silver as a long-term investment and inflationary hedge, improving its appeal during higher market volatility. Like gold, there’s an opposite relationship between the US dollar and silver, making it a good investment for portfolio diversification. 

What Factors Affect The Price Of Silver? 

Many traders use sites like Gainesville Coins to track the price of silver. On top of monitoring the trading price, beginner traders should consider the factors that affect the price of silver. In particular, one of the things affecting the silver market price is its role in the industry. There’s a relatively stable industrial demand for silver in manufacturing certain goods. Thus, any changes in global production levels can affect silver through a decrease or increase in demand. Additionally, because many investors use silver to hedge against inflation, the latter is another factor that can lead to a rise in demand for silver. Consequently, the price of silver can increase as more traders and investors put their money into the precious metal. 

The US dollar is another factor that affects the price of silver. So, if its value weakens, silver will be relatively cheaper to buy, leading to an increase in demand and price. On the flip side, if the dollar is strong, it can cause a drop in the trading price of silver. In addition to the industrial demand, inflation, and the US dollar, the increase in demand for other precious metals like palladium can increase the silver supply, causing a drop in the price of silver. 

Why Trade Silver? 

Like other precious metals, one of the primary reasons many traders turn to silver trading is that it’s easy to buy. When there’s a rise in inflation, many investors seek investments that will offset the impact of inflation and preserve the value of their capital. That’s what it means to hedge against inflation, and investing in silver is one of the popular methods of protecting your capital. Many investors also consider silver a safe-haven asset similar to other precious metals. Silver tends to increase or maintain its value during periods of economic uncertainty.  

Because portfolio diversification is a highly advised risk management strategy, commodities like silver can provide excellent diversification as their price is based on different factors from different assets. Another reason silver trading is worth considering is that its price is much more volatile than other commodities. Although high volatility means increased risk, it also provides traders with an increased possibility to profit from the rise and fall of market prices.  

How Do You Trade Silver? 

There are multiple ways to trade silver, including physical silver, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), futures contracts, contracts for difference (CFD), and silver mining stocks. The most common kinds of physical silver are coins, bars, and bullion. If you plan to purchase physical silver, you can buy it at several dealers online.  

However, you may also consider purchasing ETFs. These are assets that traders can buy by simply clicking a button. As for futures contracts, these are agreements to buy or sell silver at a specific date in the future. Meanwhile, in CFD, although you don’t own the silver, you can profit or lose money based on your trade picks.  

Conclusion 

Silver is an in-demand commodity with many industrial uses and a better inflation hedge than other precious metals. Because you’re just starting with silver trading, you may consider seeking guidance from reliable silver trading brokers as they can provide the knowledge and support you need.