China has tightened silver export controls from January 1, elevating the metal to strategic status. Here’s what it means for prices, defence, solar and supply chains.
Spot gold hovered around $4,320 an ounce, while silver slid toward $71
After a record bull run, a sharp decline in gold and silver prices should be viewed as a positioning reset rather than a breakdown of the long-term thesis, an analyst said.
Hindustan Zinc share price: Hindustan Zinc shares jumped nearly 27% in the past one month, and are up more than 38% in 2025 so far.
The Augmont Bullion report predicts silver prices to consolidate between $70 (Rs 2,23,000) and $75 (Rs 2,37,000), after the sharp sell-off.
In 2026, gold prices are expected to range between $3,900 and $5,000 per ounce, though heightened financial or geopolitical stress could push prices higher, says precious metal analyst.
Gold's recent decline in price is mainly attributed to profit-taking ahead of the new year.
Silver prices witnessed a dramatic pullback on December 29, as profit-taking hit the momentum.
Silver is currently one of the third-most valued assets in the world. What should investors watch out for in 2026? These trends can help you plan for your investing goals in the white metal.
The white metal held above $71 an ounce on Tuesday, after sliding 9% in the previous session, while gold was little changed at around $4,340, after losing 4.4%.
The metal rose to a record above $84 an ounce early Monday, before promptly crashing closer to $70 in thin, post-holiday trading. It was one of silver’s largest price reversals ever.
Silver does offer greater upside potential but comes with higher volatility due to its reliance on industrial demand, an analyst said.
Easing geopolitical tensions and China’s export restrictions were among four key reasons behind the downturn.
The domestic futures price of gold on MCX closed the Friday session at Rs 1,37,838 per 10 grams of 24-Carat purity, up 0.04 percent from its previous close.
So far in 2025, silver outshone gold, propelled by its designation as a critical U.S. mineral, supply constraints, and low inventories amid rising industrial and investment demand.
March silver futures surged to an intraday high of $82.67 an ounce in early trade, marking a further 7% rise on top of an 11% jump on Friday, which was the strongest single-day gain since 2008
Investors have piled into copper in December on speculation that huge flows of metal to the US will leave the rest of the world short next year.
Though trading activity will remain subdued next week, with only a few key economic releases lined up, including November's pending home sales and meeting minutes from December's Federal Open Market Committee on Tuesday, which will steer bullion prices.
Attention will be on the FOMC meeting minutes and weekly US jobless claims.
Frictions in Venezuela, where the US has blockaded oil tankers and ramped up pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro, have added to the precious metal’s haven appeal.
Currently, silver sits at a market capitalisation of $4.220 trillion, just 8.1 percent behind NVIDIA at $4.592 trillion.
Analyst predicts that silver is vulnerable to tactical profit booking in the near term as prices have rallied sharply and are trading well above medium-term averages, which typically invites consolidation.
The war between Israel and Iran, as well as rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela, have boosted safe-haven flows into gold, says analyst
The estimate draws on transaction data released for the first time by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which tracks UPI-based digital gold purchases.
After the fund hit its upward limit of 10% for three straight days this week, UBS SDIC Fund Management Co. tightened the rules on Wednesday evening.