Silver ETF Slams GLD Over Past 2 Months

SAN FRANCISCO (Oct 9)  Silver prices, along with related exchange traded funds, are outshining gold as uncertainty fuels safe-haven investments, but industrial activity could help silver keep up its momentum.

The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) rose 2.9% Friday while the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) gained 1.1%. Since the early August low, SLV has increased 14.4%, whereas GLD is only up 3.2%.

Precious metals are strengthening as a safe-store of value, with Congress deadlocked over extending the country's debt limit to avoid a default.

"Gold is getting some bids because of the uncertainty," Frank McGhee, the head dealer at Integrated Brokerage Services LLC in Chicago, said in a Bloomberg article. "It will be a very big deal if the U.S. defaults."

Gold futures were up 1.1% Monday, trading around $1,324.6 per ounce. Silver futures were up 2.7%, trading around $22.35 per ounce.

However, over the mid-term, silver could outperform gold as the U.S. monetary policy normalizes, Shanghai Metals Market reports.

According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, gold will weaken along with a gradual rise in interest rates, with bullion hovering around $1,300 per ounce in the fourth quarter and dropping to $1,294 an ounce next year.

The bank, though, anticipates silver prices to average $26.38 an ounce due to increased economic activity, which would support silver for industrial applications.