Throughout its history, the silver market has been largely overlooked as an investment commodity. In recent years, the market has taken a turn and all that has changed. Attention in the precious metals market has started to shift from the once-favored gold to the previously unappreciated silver market. The past few years have seen worldwide economies in virtual ruins and people everywhere searching for a way to protect their wealth against the fallout of a bad economy. One of the first markets to get attention in this time was the gold market, but silver prices today indicate investors also included this less popular metal in their portfolio as well.
Even though gold has always been an investor’s first choice, people started to see silver as a viable investment option as the 21st Century unfolded. Not only did investment demand for silver go up, but also industrial demand went up, leading to price increases. Silver prices today are at their highest for many reasons, and the increase in demand is the main contributor. In spite of the fact that the metal was barely breaking $5 an ounce when the 21st Century started, silver prices today are at over $29 an ounce and on the rise.