SA Asks: What's the best silver play right now for investors?

[1000 Grams Pure Silver Bars and Coins]
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Silver prices reached an all-time high this past week amid increased industrial demand coupled with investors looking for safe haven investments.

We asked Seeking Alpha analysts Eliana Scialabba [https://seekingalpha.com/author/eliana-scialabba] and Andrew Hecht [https://seekingalpha.com/author/andrew-hecht] what they view as the best silver play right now for investors.

Eliana Scialabba [https://seekingalpha.com/author/eliana-scialabba]: I’ve been following silver closely through my recent coverage of Pan American Silver (NYSE:PAAS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PAAS]), Avino (NYSE:ASM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ASM]) and Vizsla Silver (NYSE:VZLA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/VZLA]), and I think this moment feels different. With silver above $53 per ounce this week, we’re not just seeing a monetary move but a more structural one. Industrial demand from solar, EVs, and electronics keeps rising while global supply stays tight, creating a setup that supports the whole sector.

PAAS stands out as the large cash-flowing anchor, ASM captures mid-tier growth with discipline, and VZLA brings pure exploration torque. Even with their different sizes and stages, they’re all benefiting from the same broader shift. This small sample of companies shows why I believe it’s a good time not just for individual names but for the silver space as a whole, a sector finally being valued for both its scarcity and its strategic importance.

Andrew Hecht [https://seekingalpha.com/author/andrew-hecht]: In 1995, I ran the global precious metals trading and sales business at the Phibro division of Salomon Brothers, now Citigroup. I believed silver was inexpensive at between $5 and $6 per ounce. Together with three other senior traders, and with management's approval (and management was Warren Buffett), we purchased a proprietary silver position, investing over $1.25 billion in silver. We bought over 250 million ounces of the metal. I have been bullish on silver for decades, expecting the price to eventually rise above the 1980 $50.36 per ounce peak.

Thirty years have passed since I participated in what likely remains the largest silver risk position in history, and the price has only now reached my target. However, the 1980 price of $50.36 adjusted for inflation is now just under $325 per ounce. I do not expect silver to reach that lofty level, but higher highs look likely. Even the most aggressive bull markets rarely move in straight lines, and silver is no exception.

The most direct route for participating in the current silver bull market is the physical market for bars and coins. Futures are leveraged instruments, as margin requires a small down payment for controlling a significant risk position. The iShares Silver Trust ETF (NYSEARCA:SLV [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SLV]) purports to hold physical silver, but it owns allocated and unallocated silver, which could diverge from a value perspective. A diversified approach to silver mining stocks, utilizing Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:SIL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SIL]) and Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:SILJ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SILJ]), offers an alternative investment and trading strategy, but senior and junior silver miners are not silver.

Buying silver on price weakness has been optimal since the turn of this century. I have not changed my bullish view of the silver market, but caution against buying on rallies, which has always caused lots of indigestion. The $1.25 billion risk position in 1995 would be worth well over $12.5 billion today. The bottom line is that in markets, timing is everything!

* Top Gold Stocks [https://seekingalpha.com/screeners/9409af15bd-Top-Gold-Stocks]
* Top Precious Metals and Minerals Stocks [https://seekingalpha.com/screeners/9409af15ba-Top-Precious-Metals-and-Minerals-Stocks]

MORE ON GLOBAL X SILVER MINERS ETF, ISHARES SILVER TRUST ETF, ETC.

* Silver Clears $50, Breakout Confirmed [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4830670-silver-clears-50-breakout-confirmed]
* Silver's Price Consolidates Ahead Of Next Move (Technical Analysis) [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4830612-silver-price-consolidates-ahead-of-next-move-technical-analysis]
* Gold Extends Record Rally [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4830372-gold-extends-record-rally]
* Gold notches new all-time high above $4,100, silver soars to first record since 1980 [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4503723-gold-notches-new-all-time-high-above-4100-silver-soars-to-first-record-since-1980]
* Silver soars to decades-high in historic short squeeze as gold hits record [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4503491-silver-soars-to-decades-high-in-historic-short-squeeze-as-gold-hits-record]