Silver has been a dreadful investment over the last six months. Having reached $26.50 per ounce (oz) in March 2022, the price is now just $18/oz. Indeed, in real (inflation-adjusted) terms, dollar-priced silver is lower now than it was just after World War I.
Yet the long-term outlook remains auspicious. Silver is a monetary metal, like gold, but also an industrial one whose range of applications keeps on expanding. Ideal for jewellery, it is very durable and also one of the world’s best electricity conductors. Nearly all computers and mobile phones contain silver, as it is perfect for coating electrical contacts on printed circuit boards. The metal is also used in making electricity-producing solar cells and plasma display panels.
On/off buttons for televisions, phones, microwave ovens, children’s toys and keyboards all use silver membrane switches. Silver ink removes the need
