3 actions to overcome the increase

The silver is in a tear. Even after a 30% drop last Friday, the price per ounce of the white metal ended January around 17% and Citigroup Analysts now predict it could reach $150 an ounce in a few months. The recovery adds to the 103% increase in silver in 2025. For context, in the nine years by 2025, silver prices only increased by 117%.

This insane surge is fueled by high industrial demand for the metal in electric vehicles, solar panels, artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and defense equipment. Of all the 118 elements on the periodic table, silver is #1 when it comes to conducting electricity. This has made it “much more valuable” for AI infrastructure investments, according to Grenadilla Advisory chief executive Anna Rathbun.

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Meanwhile, tighter silver export controls in China are limiting supply, even as Chinese President Xi Jinping pledges to increase the country’s clean energy capacity sixfold. This is important for silver prices because each solar panel contains about 0.64 ounces of silver, and China installed more than 560 million solar panels last year alone.

Given the demand for silver shows few signs of decrease, the The catalysts for this crazy rally to continue are in place. Here are three investments that can help you take advantage of silver’s sustained boom.

A pile of silver construction materials is shown. — Image source: Getty Images.

The iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV) it is a passive management exchange traded fund (ETF) designed to mirror the performance of silver, after paying expenses and liabilities. It contains physical silver bullion in secure vaults, with each share representing a fractional interest in that silver. This allows investors to track the price of silver without directly owning the metal. Because they’re passively managed, expenses are higher than some of the big-name ETFs, but still relatively reasonable. The ETF has an expense ratio of just 0.50%, significantly lower than the category average of 0.82%.

From its inception in April 2006 through December, the iShares Silver Trust achieved an average annual return of 8.89%. That’s a slight underperformance to its benchmark’s average annual return of 9.44%, but that’s largely explained by the 0.50% expense ratio. For 2026 to date, the ETF has returned 19%.

While it doesn’t quite match the performance of silver over time, the ETF offers convenience and simplicity for investors who don’t want to buy silver bullion (and incur storage fees and the hassle of finding reputable dealers). It is also a less volatile way to play silver prices compared to investing in silver miners.

For investors who can handle higher volatility, First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG) is the closest thing to a silver “pure play” among precious metal miners. With 57% of its revenue coming from silver mining as of the third quarter of 2025, it is the purest silver producer among its peers.

As you can see in the chart above, the stock is up 25% year-to-date, although returns can swing quickly in either direction. Last quarter, the company achieved record silver production of 4.2 million ounces, while annual output was 15.4 million ounces, up 84% from 2024 levels.

Unlike precious metals, these mining stocks pay a dividend. The company’s policy is to pay 2% of quarterly earnings to shareholders as dividends, and the stock now yields 0.08%. While a small yield, it’s likely to be a welcome bonus to the massive capital appreciation the stock has delivered in recent years.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, Wheaton Precious Metals (NYSE: WPM) is a $68 billion company that provides financing for various mining projects around the world, in exchange for the right to buy some of their future production at deep discounts to the spot price.

The business model gives the company a stellar 54.7% profit margin and naturally capitalizes on the recovery in precious metals, with quarterly earnings up 123% year over year.

As you can see from the chart above, the stock is up 109% over the past 12 months. This rally is no fluke, as Wheaton Precious Metals has a well-documented track record of outperforming silver and gold over 1-year, 3-year, 5-year and 10-year periods. This outperformance can happen when you have contracts that give you the right to buy hundreds of thousands of ounces of gold and silver at discounts of up to 80% of the spot price.

Each of these investments offers different advantages for silver investors, from the simplicity of the iShares Silver Trust to the near-pure status of First Majestic and the structural advantages offered by Wheaton Precious Metals’ business model. Investors looking to play silver’s upside should strongly consider them, as previous trends continue to push silver higher.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. William Dahl has no position in any of the aforementioned stocks. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has one disclosure policy.

Silver Up 17% In 1 Month: 3 Stocks To Beat The Rise was originally published by The Motley Fool

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