A traditional source of wealth for thousands of years, silver has held its value through thick and thin. As both a monetary and industrial metal, there is no shortage of demand for silver. But what about supply? Seasonality? Political risk? For investors looking to break into any aspect of the silver market—bullion, mining companies or ETFs—it's crucial to understand the metal's background and fundamentals.
The Gold Report is pleased to present the latest additions to our "Guide to Silver Investing," courtesy of Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE.A:EXK, DBF:EJD, TSX:EDR). Silver Fundamentals offers basic supply and demand fundamentals, while Silver Facts and History provides the educational foundation investors need to make qualified decisions before positioning themselves in this multi-purpose metal.
"Understanding the fundamentals is critical," according to Hugh Clarke, vice president of Corporate Communications at Endeavour Silver. "Investors must research what the metal is used for, where the supply is coming from, whether there is a surplus or deficit and what to do in the event of a supply disruption or demand spike."
Novices and professionals alike can benefit from these informational and educational silver reports. Prospective investors can verse themselves in market essentials before taking the plunge into silver investment, while experts can stay abreast of current market trends and new and emerging uses of the metal.
"As with most commodities, precious metal prices fluctuate seasonally," says Mr. Clarke. Accordingly, Endeavour Silver offers a useful tool to track such trends via a month-by-month, 30-year seasonality chart featured on the company's Silver page. To ensure the timeliness of information presented, Endeavour Silver regularly updates both reports. Silver Fundamentals is updated annually, and Silver Facts is updated every few quarters.
Silver Fundamentals provides comprehensive information on global silver supply, production and fabrication, as well as silver ETF holdings and bullion inventories.
Silver Facts offers a historical look at the gray metal's use as currency; its mining history—from today all the way back to 3,000 BC, when the first major silver mines were founded in Anatolia (modern day Turkey); and myriad everyday uses of silver—from jewelry, photography and electronics to medical and pharmaceutical applications.
