Skip to navigationSkip to main contentADVERTISEMENTSome offers on this page are from advertisers who pay us, which may affect which products we write about, but not our recommendations. See our Advertiser Disclosure.Catherine Brock · Contributing writerTue, July 21, 2026 at 5:33 PM GMT+2 3 min readSilver (SI=F) September futures opened at $56.71 per ounce on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, down -0.6% from Monday's closing price. The silver price moved highe this morning, reaching $59.38 as of 8:53 a.m. ET.Unlike gold, silver's price is driven by two primary forces, industrial demand and investor demand. Both have waned. High silver prices earlier in 2026 have contributed to double-digit declines in factory demand in some sectors. Many investors have moved away from silver also, amid expectations that inflation could keep interest rates high.Adding complexity to silver's price dynamic is a multiyear silver shortage — 2026 will be the sixth year silver mining hasn't supported the usage. Silver is primarily produced as a byproduct of mining other metals, so production levels hinge on demand for gold, copper, lead, and zinc more so than silver's price.Silver may be oversold, but many investors are likely awaiting definitive news on the U.S. interest rate outlook before driving the metal's price up again.Current price of silverThe opening price of silver futures on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, was 0.6% lower compared to Monday's closing price. Here's how today's opening silver price has changed versus last week, month, and year:For context, silver's year-over-year growth was 173.3% on May 14.24/7 silver price tracking: Don't forget you can monitor the current price of silver on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Want to learn more about the current top-performing companies in the silver industry? Explore a list of the top-performing companies in the silver industry using the Yahoo Finance Screener. You can create your own screeners with over 150 different screening criteria.Silver price predictions for the next decadeSilver price forecasts vary wildly by expert. Some say silver's price will hold steady or experience modest growth, while others predict huge price spikes. Here are some of the biggest predictions for silver's price:1. Silver reaches $100 per ounceExperts with BlackRock and J.P. Morgan agree that the outlook for silver remains strong, and its price will increase. By the end of 2026, experts predict silver's price will surpass $80 per ounce, and it could reach $100 per ounce by 2030.Does that mean you should buy lots of silver? Be aware that predictions can change, and they may revise their forecasts at any time.2. Silver coins become more popularWith the conflict in the Middle East, investors are increasingly concerned about economic turmoil and manufacturing supply chain disruptions. Historically, that means investors will increasingly buy precious metals, such as silver.Because buying an ounce of gold is prohibitively expensive for new investors, silver coins or bars are a more accessible entry point, so there may be increased demand.3. Pricing may be more volatileCompared to gold, silver's price tends to be more volatile, with more rises and falls. Its price fluctuates due to changes in industrial demand and investor confidence.For example, at the beginning of January 2026, silver's price topped $113 per ounce. But by February, its price dropped to $77 per ounce, a decrease of about 32% in just a few weeks.Keep reading: Silver price predictions for the next decade: What should investors expect?Price of silver chartWhether you're tracking the price of silver since last month or last year, the price-of-silver chart below shows the precious metal's value journey so far this year.More silver coverage from the Yahoo Finance team: 5 ways to invest in silver for beginnersSilver price volatility: What to know and how to invest in 2026Silver vs. gold: Which metal made investors more money in the last 50 years?Gold alternatives? How to invest in silver, platinum, and palladium.Why is silver outperforming gold? What to know before you invest.How to invest in silver in 5 steps