Silver used to be a precious metal like gold, but not anymore. It's a potential weapon of economic war, and China's interested.

Breakthroughs in technology have elevated silver to more an industrial metal than something precious for a ring or a necklace, and the future may belong to nations that control it.

Because silver is integral in making solar panels, medical devices, electric vehicles, water purification systems and many other products (including data centers, which are enjoying a market boom now) it's become a commodity to be hoarded by greedy nations.

It's no wonder that the market price on bars and coins made of nearly-pure silver are up 75-percent during 2025. There are other reasons, but the industrial uses of silver are now primary.

Financial expert and Traders Agency head Ross Givens says China, the second largest producer in the world, is now weaponizing silver by keeping it China.

"They're securing supply for their own solar and artificial intelligence buildout while tightening the screws on the rest of the world," he says.

"Because China controls between 60-to-70-percent of the world's tradeable silver and the market already sees what's coming."

What's coming? The weaponization of silver to the market advantage of China, to the disadvantage of other countries.

"Weaponization" is an ironic term in this case because silver is even integral in the making of missiles.

"Silver isn't just a precious metal anymore. It's a critical component in 5G data and phone systems" in addition to all the uses listed above, Mr. Givens, who maintains a YouTube channel, says.

It's not enough that China is hoarding oil, grains, minerals and other industrial metals, it's now clapping the lid on silver.

A new law that goes into effect January 1st implements extensive new regulations on Chinese companies exporting silver -- Mr. Givens says the fact is, very few companies can meet the requirements so the net effect of the regulations is to drastically reduce silver exports.

You might think that silver mines are replenishing the supply, but mining has declined over the years rather than expanded.

So it's not hard to understand why people inside and even outside the precious metal industry are now wondering, based on it's unconditional heavy demand and scarcity, how high the price of gold can go before it's true supply-and-demand value is realized.

KTRH Local Houston and Texas News