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Showing posts from April, 2021

Silver's Role in Future Energy?

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Most people understand that green energy applications are gaining market share around the world and that trend is expected to grow moving forward. Proponents of silver are starting to think in terms of its use in these future energy applications perhaps making it a key to the future . In that regard, they think of silver in the future somewhat like we have thought of oil in the past. Below are some excerpts from this article on FxStreet.com - The Role of Silver in America's Drive Towards Energy Independence .   "Solar panels, solar water heaters, more powerful batteries, wind farms, wave machines, and electric vehicles, have all altered the landscape of energy supply forever. In fact, in 2019, U.S. annual energy consumption from renewable sources exceeded coal consumption for the first time since before 1885 by .2 quadrillion thermal unit, according to the EIA.  This trend is expected to continue as new policies and systems are put in place to support renewables. The Federal I

The US Mint - A Blast from the Past

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Anyone who has interest in silver and especially silver coins knows the history of the Morgan and Peace silver dollars minted in the US until the 1920's (Morgans) and 1930's (Peace).  As Judy Shelton noted in her speech given at the Thomas Jefferson Library , a lot of thought was put into how the US dollar should originally be defined. Here is one excerpt from her speech: " Based on Jefferson’s recommendations as laid out here…the Coinage Act of 1792 would define America’s dollar in terms of precise weights: 371.25 grains of pure silver or 24.75 grains of pure gold. The idea being: Precision, dependability, transparency…whether in establishing the standard of weights and measures for a nation, or for establishing its monetary standard, its money unit – will yield very positive social, political, economic and scientific results. Jefferson believed that reliable, well-defined standards would empower citizens to make responsible decisions for themselves and for the nation. An

Why is the US Mint Not Meeting Public Demand for Bullion Silver Eagles?

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Demand for US bullion silver eagles is very high in 2021 for several reasons. Silver is in high demand by itself and the US is also changing the design on the reverse side of the US silver eagle in 2021 creating added demand from coin collectors who want both versions of the silver eagle that will be minted this year. Meanwhile, the US Mint is struggling with its ability to supply the coins for various reasons. For one thing the Mint is trying to change the silver eagle design in mid year 2021 . During the transition from the old reverse design to the new design, no coins at all will be produced for some period of time during this year. On top of that problem, this article appearing in the Numismatic News in March states that conflicting US regulations are also creating an obstacle for the Mint. This article says US law prevents the US Mint from paying more than the world spot market price to acquire silver.  All this combined is creating a perfect storm in the bullion silver eagle ma

CME Group - Gold & Silver Supply Side Impact on Prices

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Information on silver demand or supply is always useful. Recently, the CME group produced this article suggesting that while demand drivers are of course important, it's also important to look at how the supply side in gold and silver may impact prices.  Below I have listed the key bullet points from the article. The article notes that since 2016 silver supply has been in a decline. We know that in 2020 mining supply was impacted from shut downs related to the COVID pandemic. So many precious metals observers will be interested to see what mine supply does in 2021. Will it continue to decline or bounce back up some? Mining output is a significant driver of changes in gold and silver prices Gold mining output appears to have a major influence on both gold and silver prices Silver mining output appears to have a somewhat weaker influence on gold and silver prices When precious metals prices rise, jewelry buyers get priced out of gold but can still afford silver Gold and silver are e

The "Happy Hawaiian" Explains Why Young Investors are Moving to Silver

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In 2021 we have seen a new surge of interest in silver from younger investors. This interest continues to grow and some may wonder what is prompting it. In the YouTube interview below, a young investor (the Happy Hawaiian from Reddit Wallstreetbets) explains what drew his attention to silver. For one thing, he says when you look at the investment options available, silver appears to be the most undervalued asset around. Below you can listen to the full interview and further below is a brief intro to the interview. Link to interview on Palisades Radio on YouTube ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Reddit forum poster known as the Happy Hawaiian has gained quite a bit of notoriety for his extensive due diligence posts on silver on the Wallstreetbets forum. In the interview posted above, he provides a detailed explanation of how silver attracted his attention as an investor and several reasons why he thinks silver

Silver & Medicine?

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Silver has been known to have anti bacterial properties for some time. The use of silver in medicine is another promising area of growth heading into the future. The Silver Institute has brief summary you can find here on some medicinal uses for silver. They also have a more detailed dive into the topic called Silver in Medicine - Past, Present. and Future .  Here is an excerpt: "But what of the future?  Silver continues to be the subject of intense R&D efforts, particularly with  respect  to  limiting  and  preventing  infection.  As mentioned  above,  infections  associated  with  implantable  medical  devices  adversely  affect  patient  health  and  quality  of  life,  and  the  overall healthcare costs. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has made the search for both new  antibiotics  and  non‐antibiotic  alternatives  even  more  critical.  As discussed,  silver is one such alternative and significant efforts are being made to improve the actual ionization o