It is introducing licensing for export of silver starting on 1 January 2026.
There is speculation that the new regulations will favor a few large companies, slow the flow of exports, and provide a mechanism for the government to impose explicit 'critical mineral' export controls on silver in the future.
There's actually a 3rd option, possibly concurrent with the others, which is that silver usage has suddenly dramatically increased and the new demand has forced a higher equilibrium price, but I don't know if that's happening here.
msuniverse2026•1mo ago
I have a couple kilos of silver and it is a bit mind-boggling to check the price once a week and see it go up 2-3x what a year long term deposit would.
jiggawatts•1mo ago
This could just be speculators driving up the price...
AngryData•1mo ago
MisterMower•1mo ago
Most silver extraction is actually done in copper or gold mines. But you can’t ramp up silver production in those mines because the silver output is actually a waste product from the primary metal being extracted in those mines.
Demand is rising but silver supply is relatively inelastic, resulting in the price going up.
AngryData•1mo ago
jerkstate•1mo ago
pengaru•1mo ago
According to a research paper by scientists at the University of New South Wales, solar manufacturers will likely require over 20 percent of the current annual silver supply by 2027. By 2050, solar panel
source: https://www.moneymetals.com/news/2025/12/15/silver-industria...
MisterMower•1mo ago
It’s similar to oil: demand is what it is, and even if it doesn’t fluctuate much, a refinery exploding or political instability in a producer nation can cause prices to rise by large amounts, even if supply only drops by a few hundred thousand barrels per year.
In the 1980’s when the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market, households responded by liquidating their Sterling silver and other silver items. That’s ultimately why their strategy failed. Today that domestic source of supply is much smaller, contributing even more to supply inelasticity.
This is more of a supply story than a demand story.
Scoundreller•1mo ago
When copper or gold are cheap that’s when you wouldn’t expect those mines to step up to the plate just to address silver demand.
MisterMower•1mo ago
DANmode•1mo ago
or cheaper meaning “undervalued by comparison”?
anigbrowl•1mo ago
lovich•1mo ago
AnimalMuppet•1mo ago
dpraburaj•1mo ago
OgsyedIE•1mo ago