Gold vs Silver: Which is Better as an Investment?

The investing world has a relatively soft corner for precious metals. And why not? Every time the world spun itself into a new crisis, these limited resources acted as a safety net, especially gold. 

In 1991, when India arguably faced its biggest economic crisis, the yellow metal bailed the country out of it. In 2008, when the Lehman crisis hit the world largely, again, these metals saved the financial systems from crumbling. 

Today, as the world finds itself amidst an economic slowdown triggered by various factors, we find ourselves circling back to precious metals.

But between gold and silver, which is better? Here is what you need to know. 

Is Gold better than Silver? 

Historically, both silver and gold have been used as excellent hedging tools in the face of black swan events, market crashes, and currency depreciation. In fact, they are also considered an effective inflationary tool.  

But like most assets, both these metals have their boom and bust cycles. Regardless of any time period, it is important to consider the following while thinking about investing in gold vs silver.

- Volatility

Historically, silver has proven to be more volatile than gold. While its demand is extensive, the supply currently stands at around a billion ounces, as per statistics available in the media reports. 

Besides, most of the demand is from industries. This means the demand for silver fluctuates depending on the company’s operations. And mostly cyclical in nature. So with a constant tug on the demand-supply rope, minute discrepancies impact silver prices largely. 

This can again make silver both a good profit-making commodity as well as a risky asset.  

When we compare this with gold, we find that gold investment has maintained remarkable stability than silver has. 

Liquidity

Liquidity measures the ease with which an asset can exchange hands without impacting the markets dramatically. 

The mammoth demand for both these metals has ensured ample liquidity in the market. 

But the yellow metal here is slightly a more liquid asset and enjoys an edge over silver, simply for the fact that demand is higher than any other precious metal. 

- Demand

Besides the jewellery industry, the scale at which both these metals are employed in various sectors is unbelievable. The gold vs silver investment is unmatchable.

Gold is an effective conductor, thereby immensely valuable to the conductor, electronics, and thermal industries. Not to mention the extent to which gold is revered in India, especially during weddings and auspicious occasions. 

Silver is extensively used in automobiles, electronics, thermal, medicine, and other manufacturing industries. Nearly 60% of all silver mined is employed in industrial production. But due to the same reason, when an economy is down, silver takes an acute hit.

- Storage

Storage becomes a unique issue when purchasing these metals mainly due to the vast price difference. 

At the current price, $1 million worth of silver would require far more storage than gold of the same value. Moreover, silver is denser than gold, thus demanding more storage space. 

Characteristically too, silver tarnishes more ferociously than gold, thereby requiring a dry and more expensive storage facility with climate-controlled features.

- Stockpile and Affordability

Naturally, while comparing silver vs gold, we know silver is more affordable than gold. A mere half an ounce of gold can today purchase over 1 kg of silver. The gold to silver ratio currently stands at 120:1 – the highest in 5,000 years, particularly since the outbreak of the pandemic. 

The central government and banks have their own gold reserves. Governments can hardly pledge silver and will find themselves in turmoil if the yellow metal slips on the indices.