The Silver ETF's Impact on Demand and Value (ETF: SLV)

Todd Stein & Steven McIntyre (Texas Hedge Report) submit: In a previous article, we highlighted how the introduction of a silver ETF would send shockwaves through the financial markets. We used the introduction of the U.S. gold ETFs (tickers: GLD & IAU) as a model of what would happen to physical silver demand once the silver ETF (proposed ticker: SLV) starts trading on the Amex.

Now that a little more than one year has passed since the gold ETFs were introduced, let’s take another look at just how much demand for silver could be impacted.

In their first twelve months of trading, GLD & IAU (the two gold ETFs) accumulated well over 7 million ounces of gold in their vaults. Then, in the following three months, an additional 3 million ounces have poured in. At $558/oz, this means that nearly $6 billion of new demand has been created by the two U.S. gold ETFs over their first fifteen months. Some shifting from physical bullion to the ETFs may have occurred, but near as we can tell, it has been negligible as most of the demand created by the ETFs is truly new.

If silver, through its ETF, can add over time in dollar demand what GLD & IAU did in just 15 months, we are talking about an additional 600+ million ounces being taken off the world market. With silver trading at around $9.60/oz, $6 billion in incremental investment demand would translate more precisely into about 625 million ounces of the grey metal.

This would almost certainly wipe out the entire world’s identifiable supply of above ground silver (about 550 million ounces according GFMS). Is it any wonder why the SUA (Silver User’s Association) is trying to cry “uncle