Silver Is A Better Investment Than Gold

Gold investing has long dominated the precious metals space, as investors have used this ultra-popular metal as both a trading/speculative instrument as well as an integral part of a longer term strategy. While silver still has a large presence in the financial world, it is not often that a big name steps into the limelight and touts this white metal over its gold counterpart.
Jim Rogers is easily one of the most famous investors of all time. His astounding track record has led him to become one of the most successful traders ever, earning deep respect throughout the financial world. Better yet, Rogers is not the least bit shy about speaking his mind, whether he is right or wrong. Some of his previous statements included the fact that anyone who doesn't invest in commodities is a fool, that gold will surely drop 20% from its current levels, and now, Rogers has stated that silver is a better investment than gold.
Rogers' Reasoning
Rogers noted that for the time being, silver presents itself as a better play, as it has been a slightly better performer over the past five years. "Consider this: Silver is the only major commodity not to have reached a new all-time high in this bull market; silver is still cheaper than it was 32 years ago, prices are astonishingly depressed" writes Peter Cooper. Also, historically, gold has a history of being worth anywhere from 12 to 15 times silver; that figure is currently showing gold as being roughly 50 times more valuable than its counterpart metal.
Rogers also urges that silver's volatility may make it the perfect option come fall when it is widely expected that the Fed will be announcing yet another quantitative easing program that could create a mad rush into silver. Of course, that is not to say that it will not be a bumpy road along the way. Silver has not maintained quite the composure of gold through the years, as it is known to exhibit massive movements, so the next few months will likely be more of the same.
Ways to Play
For those looking to ride the coat tails of one of the world's most successful investors, we outline several ways to play the metal.

• Silver Miners ETF (SIL): A fund that dedicates its assets to firms who mine the actual metal.
• iShare Silver Trust (SLV): This physically-backed ETF has over $8.5 billion in assets and is an investor favorite, trading more than 7.7 million times each day. This fund will allow for investors to use options to make appropriate bets.
• Silver Wheaton (SLW): A mining/streaming company that has been an investor favorite for quite some time. This is a good option for those looking to single out a particular firm.
• Futures: Of course, you can always utilize the wide variety of futures contracts listed on the COMEX, LME, MCX, and more.