btcvssilver

Silver just hit $120, up 450% in the last 2 years, adding over $6 trillion to its market cap and became the BEST performing assets in the world.

The main reason for this INSANE rally is supply chain + paper market problem happening at the same time.

Here’s what’s actually driving it:

1. THE MARKET HAS BEEN IN A REAL SUPPLY DEFICIT FOR YEARS

This is not a one month shortage.Over the last 5 years, the world has used more silver than it produced.
Total deficit: 678 million ounces.

That is almost one full year of global mine production missing from the system. So silver was already in shortage before the price started moving fast.

2. CHINA TURNED SILVER INTO A STRATEGIC EXPORT

China does not only mine silver. China controls a large part of the world’s refined silver supply. Recently, China tightened exports using licensing and restrictions. This means fewer silver bars are allowed to leave the country.

That directly reduces the amount of silver available for the rest of the world.

You can already see this in prices. Shanghai silver is trading near $127, much higher than global markets.
That premium exists because physical silver inside China is becoming harder to get.

When China slows exports:
• Other countries have to fight harder for limited supply
• Physical premiums rise quickly
• Factories pay higher prices to avoid production delays

3. INDUSTRIAL DEMAND IS GROWING RAPIDLY

Silver is not only a store of value. It is a critical industrial metal. Two major demand drivers are:

A) Solar demand

Solar panels need silver to conduct electricity inside each panel. Every panel uses silver in its internal wiring. As more countries build solar power plants, silver demand rises. Global solar silver demand is expected to grow from about. 200 million ounces per year to around 450 million ounces per year by 2030.

That alone can consume a very large part of global supply.

B) Data centers, AI, and electrification

More data centers are being built. Power grids are being upgraded. Electronics production is increasing. Silver is used because it carries electricity better than any other metal. In high performance systems, it cannot be easily replaced.

So demand keeps rising while supply is already tight.

4. THE PAPER MARKET IS WAY BIGGER THAN THE REAL METAL

Most silver trading happens through paper contracts, not real metal. Paper to physical leverage is estimated 350:1. That means for every 1 real ounce, there can be 350+ oz in paper claims. This only works as long as nobody asks for physical delivery.

But when physical delivery increases:
• Shorts cannot find metal
• They must buy contracts back
• Price moves up fast
• More shorts are forced to exit

That creates a forced buying loop.

5. LEASE RATES AND BACKWARDATION SHOWED PHYSICAL STRESS

A) Lease rates

Lease rates are the cost to borrow physical silver. Normally, lease rates are close to zero. They spiked close to 39% annualized recently. That means physical silver became extremely difficult to borrow.

B) Backwardation

Backwardation means spot prices are higher than futures prices. This happens when buyers want metal immediately, not later. Silver backwardation reached levels last seen around 1980 during some periods.
That shows severe physical shortage.

6. REFINING BOTTLENECKS MADE IT WORSE

About 9.7% of global refining capacity went offline in late 2025. Even when silver existed, it could not be processed fast enough into usable form.

That tightened supply further.

7. ETFs REMOVED EVEN MORE METAL FROM CIRCULATION

ETFs buy real silver bars and store them. Over 95 million ounces flowed into silver ETFs in early 2025 alone. That metal is no longer available for industry or delivery.

8. SILVER WAS CLASSIFIED AS A STRATEGIC MATERIAL

In August 2025, the U.S. added silver to its Critical Minerals List. This officially changed silver from a normal commodity into a strategic resource.

9. WHY SILVER MOVES FASTER THAN GOLD

Gold markets are large and deep. Silver markets are smaller and thinner. When demand rises, silver prices move much faster. Silver did not go parabolic for one reason.

It moved because of:

• Multi-year supply deficits
• China tightening refined exports
• Rising industrial demand
• Huge paper leverage with limited physical supply
• Lease rate spikes
• Backwardation
• London inventory stress
• Refinery shutdowns
• ETF absorption
• Strategic classification

The market stopped being driven by paper prices.
It started being driven by physical availability.

Silver has surged as investors hedge against currency debasement and global uncertainty 🌍📉. Historically, when silver leads and momentum starts to cool, capital often rotates into Bitcoin — the digital form of hard money . With precious metals outperforming while BTC lags, the setup hints at a potential catch-up phase 📊. If this rotation repeats, Bitcoin could be next as liquidity moves toward higher-beta protection 🚀.
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