After lagging other precious metals last year, silver entered 2018 as rebound candidate. The iShares Silver Trust (NYSEArca: SLV) and ETFS Physical Silver Shares (NYSEArca: SIVR) are up more than 3% since the start of the year.
Silver could get another boost if gold prices start rebounding in earnest. Indian demand is vital for gold because the country is the second-largest buyer of the yellow metal behind China. India, one of the world’s largest gold consumers, could be set to lower its import tax on bullion, which could be major catalyst for gold prices.
Moreover, a slumping dollar is boosting commodities prices. The PowerShares DB U.S. Dollar Index Bullish Fund (NYSEArca: UUP), the exchange traded fund proxy for the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY), fell more than 1% Wednesday, extending its year-to-date decline to over 3%. UUP tracks movements against a basket of currencies including euro, Japanese yen, British pound, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona and Swiss franc.
Moreover, unlike gold, silver sees much higher industrial demand. The precious metal enjoys heavy industrial demand that benefits from an expanding global economy. On a technical basis, silver looks appealing, as well.