Silver Price Forecast: XAG/USD jumps to near $31 on multiple tailwinds
- Silver price surges to near $31.00 on Fed dovish bets, China stimulus and Mid East tensions.
- Fed officials remain concerned over the US labor market outlook.
- Silver price holds the downward-sloping trendline breakout
Silver price (XAG/USD) climbs to near $31.00 in Tuesday’s European session. The white metal gains as on firm speculation for the Federal Reserve (Fed) 50 basis points (bps) interest rate cut in November, the announcement of monetary stimulus by China, and escalating Middle East tensions.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, the likelihood of the Fed reducing interest rates by 50 bps to 4.25%-4.50% in November has increased to 51% from 29% a week ago. This has weighed on the US Dollar (USD). The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, falls to near 100.80. Historically, lower US Dollar makes the Silver price an inexpensive bet for investors.
Market expectations for Fed large interest rate cuts have strengthened as recent commentaries from policymakers have indicated that they are worried about deteriorating job growth.
Meanwhile, China’s top regulators have announced a slew of stimulus measure to uplift their economy. This would improve the demand for Silver as metal, given that it has applications in various industries, such as electric vehicles and wires and cables, etc.
In the Middle East region, escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah has improved Silver’s demand as a safe-haven asset. Mid-East conflicts deepened after Israel’s airstrike in southern Lebanon on Monday.
Silver technical analysis
Silver price strengthens as it holds the breakout of the downward-sloping trendline from May 21 high of $32.50. Upward-sloping 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) near $29.85 suggests that the near-term outlook of the Silver price is bullish.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) strives to sustain in the 60.00-80.00. A bullish momentum would trigger if the oscillator manages to do so.
Silver daily chart
Silver FAQs
Silver is a precious metal highly traded among investors. It has been historically used as a store of value and a medium of exchange. Although less popular than Gold, traders may turn to Silver to diversify their investment portfolio, for its intrinsic value or as a potential hedge during high-inflation periods. Investors can buy physical Silver, in coins or in bars, or trade it through vehicles such as Exchange Traded Funds, which track its price on international markets.
Silver prices can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can make Silver price escalate due to its safe-haven status, although to a lesser extent than Gold's. As a yieldless asset, Silver tends to rise with lower interest rates. Its moves also depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAG/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Silver at bay, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to propel prices up. Other factors such as investment demand, mining supply – Silver is much more abundant than Gold – and recycling rates can also affect prices.
Silver is widely used in industry, particularly in sectors such as electronics or solar energy, as it has one of the highest electric conductivity of all metals – more than Copper and Gold. A surge in demand can increase prices, while a decline tends to lower them. Dynamics in the US, Chinese and Indian economies can also contribute to price swings: for the US and particularly China, their big industrial sectors use Silver in various processes; in India, consumers’ demand for the precious metal for jewellery also plays a key role in setting prices.
Silver prices tend to follow Gold's moves. When Gold prices rise, Silver typically follows suit, as their status as safe-haven assets is similar. The Gold/Silver ratio, which shows the number of ounces of Silver needed to equal the value of one ounce of Gold, may help to determine the relative valuation between both metals. Some investors may consider a high ratio as an indicator that Silver is undervalued, or Gold is overvalued. On the contrary, a low ratio might suggest that Gold is undervalued relative to Silver.
Author
Sagar Dua
FXStreet
Sagar Dua is associated with the financial markets from his college days. Along with pursuing post-graduation in Commerce in 2014, he started his markets training with chart analysis.
