# So ... silver is now around $15 an oz time to buy some or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098 "2015-07-14T00:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/1 "2015-07-14T00:32:22Z")
[Current silver pricing](http://www.jmbullion.com/silver/?gclid=CJTEwYSu2cYCFYORHwodyboAQQ) I know it’s easy to get burned in metal but silver is as low as it’s been in a while. Time to get some or not? I know you can buy silver in bars and coins etc from mints and metal companies. What’s the most economical way to do it? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/2 "2015-07-14T00:46:47Z")
Do you have some information regarding the eventual supply and demand of silver that the rest of the market is not privy to? Or, do you have any information regarding silver that anyone and their mother can’t find readily available on [silver.com](http://silver.com)? If not then you might as well stick your finger in the wind and if it blows east - BUY, if it blows West - SELL. ---
**Author:** ![Construct](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Construct](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Construct)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/3 "2015-07-14T00:48:03Z")
Prices for all commodities, equities, or other tradeable goods are random walks in real time, with an expected future value equal to the present value in the short run. Buying now is just as good an idea as buying at any other time. Anyone who tells you otherwise is ignorant, lying, or has an exceptional knowledge of the market/inside information. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/4 "2015-07-14T00:53:04Z")
^^^ It’s like the same thing I said, but much smarter sounding. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/5 "2015-07-14T01:19:28Z")
I notice the price of both gold and silver[have dropped substantially](http://goldprice.org/) over the last 60 days. This despite the daily headlines about Greece going bankrupt and dragging the Euro down with it. If precious metals can’t maintain their value during an international financial crisis, when exactly WILL they be a good investment? Actually, now would be a good time to buy if you can arrange to go back to 2011 and sell it then. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/6 "2015-07-14T01:28:30Z")
To use the movie quote – “Do you feel lucky?” If you are talking as a 1-40 year investment I would tend to say yes; some moderate percentage of your investment portfolio going into silver or gold is a fairly good idea. Chances are very good that at some time during those four decades the value will be greater than it is today. If you are talking more a 1-2 year investment, taking another mortgage on your home, and a shot at doubling your money in that time-frame, then no. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/7 "2015-07-14T01:31:07Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I notice the price of both gold and silver[have dropped substantially](http://goldprice.org/) over the last 60 days. This despite the daily headlines about Greece going bankrupt and dragging the Euro down with it. > > If precious metals can’t maintain their value during an international financial crisis, when exactly WILL they be a good investment? > > Actually, now would be a good time to buy if you can arrange to go back to 2011 and sell it then. Possibly, but the cost of time travel could potentially erode any profits gained from the sale - you would have to make sure the price of time travel fuel is at a reasonable rate. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/8 "2015-07-14T01:48:00Z")
Are you a jeweler, or a maker of photographic film, or a practitioner of any other craft that uses silver as a raw material? If so, then yes, this would be a good time to buy it, since your demand for your product is probably about the same as ever. If not, though, you’re just gambling, and you can probably get better brokerage fees from Vegas. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/9 "2015-07-14T01:59:09Z")
Buying silver at $15 is better than buying it at $45 like many others did a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/10 "2015-07-14T02:01:30Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > I notice the price of both gold and silver[have dropped substantially](http://goldprice.org/) over the last 60 days. This despite the daily headlines about Greece going bankrupt and dragging the Euro down with it. > > If precious metals can’t maintain their value during an international financial crisis, when exactly WILL they be a good investment? > > Actually, now would be a good time to buy if you can arrange to go back to 2011 and sell it then. The price of gold has gone down from around 1230 to 1160 in the past 60 days. This is not a substantial drop, being just over 5.6%. The drop since July 2011 (around 40%) is in fact substantial. Many people who own precious metals, especially gold or silver, are buying them not to make a profit based on expected market conditions; they are holding them as a hedge against disaster. For example, if I had gold or silver coins in Greece right now I would probably be able to trade them for goods worth more than their current trade value, and in the absence of enough paper money I could still live pretty well. Or I could use them to buy a trip to Italy where I could trade the rest of them for all the Euros I could carry back to Greece (assuming that is legal right now). This wouldn’t mean I had made a profit, just that the precious metal had served its purpose for me. eta: the price of silver is almost flat against January 1 of this year. I don’t think the current price is anything special. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/11 "2015-07-14T02:14:18Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Buying silver at $15 is better than buying it at $45 like many others did a few years ago. Yeah. Me, for example. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/12 "2015-07-14T02:16:57Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > The price of gold has gone down from around 1230 to 1160 in the past 60 days. This is not a substantial drop, being just over 5.6%. The drop since July 2011 (around 40%) is in fact substantial. > > Many people who own precious metals, especially gold or silver, are buying them not to make a profit based on expected market conditions; they are holding them as a hedge against disaster. For example, if I had gold or silver coins in Greece right now I would probably be able to trade them for goods worth more than their current trade value, and in the absence of enough paper money I could still live pretty well. Or I could use them to buy a trip to Italy where I could trade the rest of them for all the Euros I could carry back to Greece (assuming that is legal right now). This wouldn’t mean I had made a profit, just that the precious metal had served its purpose for me. > > eta: the price of silver is almost flat against January 1 of this year. I don’t think the current price is anything special. We can quibble over whether a 5.6% decline in just two months is “substantial,” but if my “hedge” dropped 40% in four years, I think I’d class that as a disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/13 "2015-07-14T03:07:00Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > Buying silver at $15 is better than buying it at $45 like many others did a few years ago. Yeah, they lost $30 per ounce. Think how much better off you will be when you sell for $5 in a year or two. You’ll only lose $10 per ounce. So it’s a better time to buy now. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/14 "2015-07-14T04:36:05Z")
You might want to study the historic price and compare it against the economy at the time: [http://silverprice.org/silver-price-history.html](http://silverprice.org/silver-price-history.html) ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/15 "2015-07-14T11:42:45Z")
I like buying silver dollars, and also have a few gold bars. There is a decent place near where I live that has a variety of them, and sometimes online. My grandfather gave an old Morgan Silver dollar as a kid, still have that along with the rest of the collection which I have accumulated. I like having them. I do not consider them as an investment, and I do not follow the price day by day. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-silver-is-now-around-15-an-oz-time-to-buy-some-or-not/725098/16 "2015-07-14T13:12:42Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > The price of gold has gone down from around 1230 to 1160 in the past 60 days. This is not a substantial drop, being just over 5.6%. The drop since July 2011 (around 40%) is in fact substantial. … So you’re saying price movements of 2.5% per month are smaller than movements of 10% per year. Remind me to invest with another advisor.