The iShares silver ETF has a 5-year annualized return of 21% and a 3-year annualized return of 51.6%, according to investment researcher Morningstar. The fund is up about 12% year to date.
In 2011, silver ETFs have seen a “broadly neutral first quarter which gave way to steep sell-off, which appeared institutional-related, given the scale and speed of the decline,” according to the Silver Institute. “From July onwards investor interest in ETFs and other related products rebounded modestly, a function of the downgrade to the United States’ credit rating, as well as prevailing concerns relating to Europe’s sovereign debt.”
Silver prices fell sharply in September but have climbed back to about $35 an ounce. [Silver ETFs Rebound]
ETFS Physical Silver Shares
Full disclosure: Tom Lydon’s clients own SLV.