According to The Silver Institute, the silver market posted record demand in 2015, driven by new highs from demand of jewelry, coins and bars. Last year also saw the third consecutive annual silver market deficit of 129.8 million ounces, reflecting the continued strength in silver demand.
The data from The Silver Institute reveals a couple important trends that wealth builders should take note. Firstly, unlike gold, silver has very wide industrial applications. Thus, the majority of silver demand come from industrial fabrications for electronic devices, photography, solar and brazing alloys. In 2015, due to the weak global demand, the overall industrial demand declined from 611.2 million ounces in 2014 to 588.7 million ounces last year.
Interestingly, the data on investment demand for silver bars and coins reflected a contrasting picture in 2015. Silver coin and bar investment surged 24% to reach a feverish high of 292.3 ...
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