More Indicators of Physical Silver Supply Squeeze

More Indicators of Physical Silver Supply Squeeze

By Patrick A. Heller on February 14th, 2011
Categories: Gold and Silver Commentary, Precious Metals

There are several developments that emphasize the tightness of physical silver supplies.

Last Friday, the 12-month silver lease rate hit its highest level since August 2009. When someone is scrounging for physical silver and having difficulty finding it, one option is to lease it. The more that people seek to lease, the higher the interest rate goes. That also confirms a supply squeeze.

Snip: [link to news.coinupdate.com]

JPMorgan Chase has been trying to scare mining companies into selling future production of silver (and also gold) as a way to temporarily increase the supplies of metal on the market. This is an old price suppression tactic. Well, the tactic has worked again, with JPMorgan Chase implying that the metals’ prices have peaked and will be lower in the future. On January 11, Minera Frisco announced that it had presold 70 million ounces of silver that it expects to produce between now and 2013. While this tactic may hold down silver prices right now by temporarily increasing supply, it will have the opposite effect of decreasing future supplies when the silver is delivered to fulfill these contracts rather than being sold in the current market.