Silver holdings near record high, hedge funds less bullish

Investors’ physical silver holdings are at near-record levels, siding with predictions that central banks will make a move to bolster growth, reports Bloomberg.

Analysts forecast a rally as speculation mounts on central banks’ stimulus to improve growth.

As quoted in the story:

Hedge funds anticipate slowing growth will curb demand for silver, 53 percent of which is used in products from televisions to batteries. Investors and analysts are bullish on expectations central banks will do more to stimulate economies, expanding consumption and increasing the allure of precious metals as a store of value. Prices tripled as the Federal Reserve bought $2.3 trillion of debt in two rounds of so-called quantitative easing from December 2008 to June 2011.

Frederique Dubrion, the Geneva-based president and chief investment officer of Blue Star Advisors SA, commented:

Since the beginning of the year it has reacted more like a base metal than a precious one. The main negatives are still in industry. We’re waiting for more quantitative easing, and that would be really positive.

The article comes a week after conflicting reports about the outcome of a four-year-old probe into possible price manipulation of silver left investors perplexed about the future trading direction of the precious metal.