Over the last year, precious metals have been taking their turn in the spotlight. Gold, for example, surged from $3,000 per ounce in March 2025 to a peak of over $5,400 per ounce in late January 2026. Not to be outdone, silver's price soared from about $30 per ounce a year ago to over $100 per ounce during that same period.  The price of silver has cooled since then, though, and is now trading at just under $80 per ounce (as of February 9, 2026). That drop in silver value can be attributed, in