Right now, silver is cheap.

More than half of all silver is produced as a byproduct of mining another metal. Industrial metals are down, because industrial demand for metals is down, across the planet. So silver production is also down. Silver is also mainly sold for industrial use, and demand is down just like the other metals.

So, it's a buy low situation. That is true of silver mine company shares too, so long as silver is not the only metal they are selling to make revenue.

Basically, if the global economy reaches a post pandemic, even reasonable rate of normal economic growth, industrial metals across the board will see a surge. Both supply and demand will increase, but demand will rise faster than supply. That demand rise should be reflected in silver and copper price increases. Price for these will rise, and prices for mining shares will also rise, usually faster than the metal prices themselves.

As demand continues to increase, and prices continue to rise. Production also increases to help meet that demand. At the peak of the economic cycle, industrial metal prices are also often at near peaks. That is a good time to sell.

Rare earth metals will see a similar effect, but use caution here because the term rare applies more to their usage than it does to the availability of the metals themselves. North America has all kinds of currently closed rare earth mines that would quickly reopen if only the price would rise. Rare earths are not actually all that rare. Unlike Gold, which actually is rare.

Gold is a special situation, in a heavily manipulated global market. Physical supply and demand tends to have less of an impact on trading price, and massive financial powers manipulate the price for their own purposes. Currently, the gold price is radically suppressed, however, the powers that be may also be able to maintain that suppression indefinitely. You buy gold as insurance against currency collapse. It's a buy and hold scenario. You just put it under your bed against the day the price may explode.

Silver and gold are more of a hedge against loss through inflation. You can speculate and try for a flip but it's more of a long term wealth storage vehicle. The price of silver is pretty high right now and has been holding pretty steadily, and there's much speculation about the price breaking out in the future, but who knows. Guns are also a good wealth storage vehicle.

If there is a market crash there is a commodities dip as people sell assets to cover the margin call. That is when you buy.

When you are hungry and thirsty it cannot be eaten and when the shit hits the fan food and water will be more valuable than silver

You would be a lot smarter to invest in ammunition and supplies. These will be the only things of value if shit really goes down.

You'd have to buy a shit ton to make much of anything. You're also buying high.

Doubt you could get your hands on any at any kind of reasonable price. Maybe you could. Who cares.

If you just want to have some, why not?

I've had a few hundred ounces siting around for over a decade. If you ask me, it's worthless.

I'm just glad it finally went slightly positive for me. Probably a hundred things would have yielded more.