I’m bullish on gold, which you know if you saw my presentation from the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, a presentation I sent to paying subscribers on Monday of last week. But we can’t ignore silver, either. Indeed, there is plenty to be bullish about.
Look at this chart of the iShares Silver Trust (SLV: 32.69 -0.67 -2.01%) divided by the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD: 167.64 -3.41 -1.99%) …
(Updated chart)
You can see that silver underperformed gold for a long time. But that underperformance ended earlier this month. That’s just what we want to see in a bull market for the precious metals – silver, which often trades like gold on steroids, should be leading gold higher.
To be sure, silver still has some overhead resistance to work through (as does gold). Silver won’t be in the clear until it gets above $35.70. But I’m turning more bullish on silver as well as gold now. I think it’s going to have a great 2012.
And I’m not the only one saying so. Here are some articles from around the web that are well worth reading …
1. From GoldCore, Silver surged 21% in January, yet most analysts remain bearish.
2. Industrial demand for silver is surging, and whittling away at supply. Manufacturers will use 15,415 metric tons, 2.5 percent more than in 2011 and reducing the glut by 41% to 3,297 tons. One thing silver is used in is solar panels, now powering about 20 million homes. Silver Powering 20 Million Homes as Supply Surplus Subsides
3. Silver coin sales are soaring. Here’s an interesting factoid:
At Dillon Gage Metals, a leading U.S. precious metals dealer, dollar sales of silver and gold products reached parity in January for the first time in its history – even though bullion costs 50 times more. Some hedge funds are now interested in silver coins
Read more about this trend in Silver Coin Sales Hit Record Pace
4. Someone needs an editor – Steve St. Angelo has enough good ideas in this article for three stories. Check it out for his great charts on silver (he has interesting charts on gold, too). The Coming Paradigm Shift in Silver
In other news …
Three more stories you might want to read this morning …
- Many analysts have pointed to the plunge in the Baltic Dry Index as a sign that the global economy is headed for a hard landing. It turns out to be lackluster rise in demand compounded by a glut in supply (too many new ships)
- The S&P 500 is trading at a steep discount, unless you think the profit forecasts are a bunch of BS.
- And if you’re trying to wade through the waist-deep BS we encounter in the media nowadays, this story is for you.