Silver Prices Jump In GameStop-Like Frenzy
Biggest one-day gain in more than a decade is latest sign of speculative trading that is jolting financial markets.
Biggest one-day gain in more than a decade is latest sign of speculative trading that is jolting financial markets.
Online investors who spurred a trading frenzy in the shares of GameStop Corp. and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. have moved onto the global silver market, powering the precious metal to its biggest one-day advance in more than a decade.
Futures prices for silver in New York on Monday settled at their highest level in eight years, the latest work by a loosely knit group of speculators who congregate on social-media platforms including Reddit’s WallStreetBets. Some participants have been contending aggressive buying could power GameStop-like, quadruple-digit percentage gains in other arenas, with some chatter over the weekend focusing on the roughly $50 billion market for silver investments.
The idea of buying silver in unison was mentioned in the popular Reddit forum WallStreetBets last week, then quickly spread to other corners of the internet, even as many Reddit users said they weren’t behind the silver-market advance. Many investors piled into silver bars and coins online, along with silver-linked exchange traded-funds and shares of silver producers.
Many traders with experience in commodities say the trade is highly speculative. There is more than enough silver to meet industrial demand for everything from semiconductors to solar panels, and producers can raise output to take advantage of higher prices. Previous efforts to corner the market have ultimately preceded crashes, most famously when the Hunt brothers are alleged to have artificially boosted silver in 1979 and 1980.
Still, the recent wave of speculation is unlike anything many in commodities have witnessed in the recent past. Shares of miners like First Majestic Silver Corp. and Hecla Mining Co. have been among the stock market’s best performers recently—each rose more than 20% on Monday—while the largest exchange-traded fund tied to silver logged its biggest-ever daily inflow on Friday. Online silver dealers around the country have even reported soaring demand from retail buyers.
“It’s become like the GameStop of commodities,” said Edward Meir, a consultant focused on metals at brokerage ED&F Man Capital Markets. “It doesn’t make any sense…It could be equally ugly on the way down.”
The most actively traded silver futures advanced 9.3% to $29.42 a troy ounce, ending the day at a nearly eight-year high after briefly rising above $30 earlier in the trading session. Prices have risen nearly 15% in the past week, and Monday’s climb marked the metal’s biggest advance since 2009.
Silver’s rally echoed the recent leap in GameStop and AMC, propelled by a phalanx of individual traders gathering online. Highlighting the risks associated with these trades, GameStop shares fell 31% to $225 on Monday. Shares of the struggling videogame retailer are still up some 1,100% in the past month as traders undertake a “short squeeze,” forcing investors who had bet on share-price declines to buy back stock at higher prices to minimize their losses. That trend can add further fuel to rallies.
Professional traders are now weighing whether the flurry of demand from individuals can sustain the climb in silver—a market where trading is still concentrated in a small group of banks.
“They can cause very significant disruption because silver is a market with a history of very, very high volatility,” said Tai Wong, head of metal derivatives trading at BMO Capital Markets. “But can they replicate a GameStop? Unlikely.”
Rostin Behnam, the acting chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates markets for silver futures, said the agency is watching the action closely.
“The commission is communicating with fellow regulators, the exchanges, and stakeholders to address any potential threats to the integrity of the derivatives markets for silver, and remains vigilant in surveilling these markets for fraud and manipulation,” Mr Behnam said in a statement Monday.
Silver’s climb to start the week was even more remarkable to market watchers because gold rose only 0.7% and trading in other commodities was muted. Gold and silver often trade in similar directions and are seen as safe-haven investments during times of market turmoil.
Depositories at CME Group’s Comex—the biggest marketplace for silver futures—are brimming with almost 400 million troy ounces of silver, valued at around $12 billion at Monday’s prices. Vaults in London housed 1.1 billion troy ounces—worth $29 billion—at the end of 2020, according to the London Bullion Market Association.
Monday’s advance followed a weekend rush to buy the physical metal—which is used in electronics, jewellery and photography. Retail silver marketplaces including Money Metals and APMEX Inc. had notices on their websites Sunday saying they were unable to process new orders until markets opened because of unprecedented demand.
On Monday, many popular sites for purchasing silver and gold reported shipping delays or other purchase restrictions.
“Precious metals have never seen such a sudden surge in new interest,” said Adrian Ash, director of research at BullionVault. Over the weekend, openings of new accounts at the online marketplace for gold and silver rose to almost four times the daily average from 2020, itself a record year since BullionVault went live in 2005, he said.
Many traders and analysts are baffled by the moves in silver and said the logic behind a “short squeeze” is also questionable.
In GameStop’s case, hedge funds that had bet against the stock were forced to buy the retailer’s shares when individual investors drove the price higher to avoid bigger losses, propelling the shares even more. But for silver, hedge funds and other speculators actually have a net long position and stand to benefit from rising prices, Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show.
“This is just a speculative boom,” said Georgette Boele, senior precious-metals strategist at ABN Amro Bank.
A broad attempt by day traders to corner the market in silver wouldn’t be the first time someone has tried to dominate the precious metals market. Analysts have alleged price manipulation in the silver market going back several decades, including the episode with the Hunt brothers more than four decades ago.
Traders are also watching big inflows into the largest ETF tied to silver, the iShares Silver Trust, and other large funds. These funds and mining stocks are the easiest ways for individuals to bet on higher prices. The fact that silver futures themselves are rising shows that professionals are also trying to profit from the current excitement, traders say.
ETF buying can also add to market momentum because the traders who manage the fund must buy physical silver when investors put more money into the ETF. As a result, large inflows signal that the metal is in high demand.
Still, many professionals warn the silver rally will also end badly.
“It’s devoid of any fundamentals,” Mr Meir said.
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Super isn’t your only option. These smart strategies can help you self-fund a comfortable retirement.
Super isn’t your only option. These smart strategies can help you self-fund a comfortable retirement.
Superannuation is the first thought when it comes to self-funding retirement. Yet it is hardly the only option for doing so.
Just as we have a choice in how and where we work to earn a living, many people also have a choice in how to fund their retirement.
It is possible and sometimes preferable to leave your superannuation untouched, allowing it to continue growing. Some or all of your income can come from alternative sources instead.
Here are some alternatives you can consider.
For many who own their own homes, the equity accrued over decades can eclipse the funds in superannuation. However, it’s theoretical money only until it is unlocked.
Selling up the family home and downsizing – or rightsizing – for retirement allows you to pocket those gains tax-free and simultaneously relocate to a more suitable home with lower upkeep costs.
Up to $300,000 from the proceeds can be contributed by a downsizer to boost your super, and the remainder can be used to fund living expenses or actively invested.
Remember that while the sale proceeds of your home are tax-free, any future profits or interest earned from that money will be taxable.
Semi-retirement allows you to gradually step into retirement. You continue earning income and super while working part-time, keeping a foot in the workforce while testing the waters of your new found free time.
Doing so also offers scope to move into different roles, such as passing on your skills to future generations by teaching/training others in your field of expertise, or taking employment in a new area that interests you and is closer to home.
Retirement from a full-time position presents a good opportunity to pursue self-employment. With more time and fewer commitments on your hands, you have greater scope to turn your hobby into a business or leverage your professional skills and reputation as an external consultant.
Also, for the self-employed and those with a family business, director’s loan repayments from the company are typically tax-free, offering a potentially lucrative source of
income and a means of extracting previous investments into the business without selling your ownership stake.
Rental property income (from residential or commercial properties) can supplement or even provide a generous source of income. The same applies to dividends from shares.
These are likely to be more profitable if you own them well before retirement.
Income that is surplus to your everyday needs can be reinvested using tax-effective strategies to grow your future returns.
A family trust could be used to house investments for yourself and other relatives, building intergenerational wealth.
Trusts allow funds to be allocated to beneficiaries to manage marginal tax rates and stretch the money further, you have control over how income is split between different family members and have flexibility for changing circumstances.
You may not realise the value of items you have collected over the years, such as wine, artwork, jewellery, vintage cars, and antiques.
Rather than have them collect dust or pay to store them, they could be sold to fund your living costs or new investments.
Where possible, avoid selling growth assets in a depressed market – wait until you can extract maximum value.
Part-pensions are not only possible but valuable in making your superannuation stretch further. They still entitle you to a concession card with benefits in healthcare, transport, and more.
Take these savings even further by requesting pensioner discounts with other companies, on everything from utilities to travel and insurance to eating out.
Also, don’t overestimate the value of your assets as part of the means test. It’s a common mistake that can wrongly deny you a full or part-pension.
However, you ultimately fund your retirement, planning is crucial. Advice would hopefully pay for itself.
Understand your spending and how those habits will change before and during retirement, then look to investments that offer the best fit.
Consider a mixture of strategies to diversify your risk, manage your tax liabilities and ensure ongoing income.
Above all, timing is key. The further ahead you plan, the more time you have to embrace additional opportunities and do things at the right time to maximise their value. You’ve worked hard and now is your chance to enjoy the fruits of your labour!
Helen Baker is a licensed Australian financial adviser and author of the new book, Money For Life: How to build financial security from firm foundations (Major Street Publishing $32.99). Find out more at www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au
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