iShares Silver Trust (SLV)

What is SLV?

SLV is a grantor trust that holds physical silver bullion in secured vaults. Shares are designed to reflect the value of the silver held per share, less trust expenses, giving investors a way to gain exposure to the price of silver without buying, storing or insuring the metal directly.

Silver as an asset

Unlike gold, which is used mainly as a store of value, silver has meaningful industrial demand — including in electronics, solar panels and various manufacturing processes — alongside its role as a precious metal. This can make silver prices more sensitive to industrial and economic activity than gold prices, in addition to the investment-related factors that influence precious metals generally.

Risks and considerations

SLV does not produce dividends, interest or any cash flow — like physical gold, any return depends entirely on the change in the silver price, less trust expenses. Silver prices have historically been more volatile than gold prices, and the trust's structure carries its own costs and risks, including storage and counterparty considerations.

Long-term investing considerations

As with gold, silver should not be assumed to reliably protect against inflation or market declines over any specific period. Investors considering SLV alongside the gold page on this site often do so as part of a broader diversification discussion rather than as a primary long-term growth holding.