Even as exchange traded funds backed by holdings of physical gold continue to be hit by withdrawals, low silver prices are enticing investors to put cash to work ETFs that hold the white metal.
The largest of those funds, the iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV), is showing signs of life and is up almost 4% this week. Investors buying into a possible silver recovery. Silver tonnage held by SLV increased 144 tonnes, or 1.4 percent, on Wednesday to 10,428 tonnes, a two-month high, reports Frank Tang for Reuters.
News of SLV attracting inflows is a far cry from what was seen just a month ago when investors could not wait to get out of precious metals ETFs. In a single late-day June trading day, SLV lost almost 2% of its tonnage, good the ETF’s largest holdings drop in a year. [Silver ETF Holdings Plunge, Too]
Investors have been loyal to silver and SLV. Although the ETF is still down nearly 35% year-to-date, the fund actually has positive year-to-date inflows. By comparison, the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD) has lost $19.7 billion in assets, according to Index Universe data.
Total tonnage of gold in ETFs continued to fall and remained at its lowest level since February 2011, Reuters reported.