Dhanteras 2024: Today is Dhanteras, a day when families traditionally buy gold, symbolizing prosperity, good fortune, and future security. Diwali, the festival that ushers in the new Hindu calendar year, is believed to be a propitious time for investing in precious metals like gold and silver.Kolkata Wealth Management
During the closing of Samvat 2080, both silver and gold ETFs exhibited strong performance, surpassing the Nifty50 and BSE Sensex indices. This upward trend is anticipated to persist as we approach the conclusion of Samvat 2080 in the upcoming days.
ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, are investment vehicles that pool together funds from investors to invest in a variety of assets including commodities, stocks, and bonds. Silver ETFs, in particular, concentrate on investing in physical silver, silver futures contracts, or stocks of silver mining companies.
In 2024, silver mutual funds showed impressive returns, with an average performance of 28.51% across the category, as per ACE MF data. Gold ETFs, silver ETFs, Nifty and the Sensex are witnessing a record run this year delivering 30%, 28%, 27% and 25%, respectively.
Top silver mutual fundsAhmedabad Wealth Management
HDFC Silver ETF tops the silver fund category, boasting a remarkable 31.54% return in 2024 and managing an Asset Under Management (AUM) of Rs 320 crore as of September 30, 2024.
Aditya Birla Sun Life Silver ETF and ICICI Prudential Silver ETF gave impressive returns of 29.08% and 29.05%, respectively, in the same year.
Nippon India Silver ETF stands out as the largest silver ETF in terms of AUM, with assets totaling Rs 4,476 crore in September. Despite its substantial size, the fund still managed to provide investors with a noteworthy return of 28.79% in 2024, offering a balance of stability and growth potential.
Five funds, including HDFC Silver ETF FoF, ICICI Pru Silver ETF FOF, Nippon India Silver ETF FOF, UTI Silver ETF FoF, Aditya Birla SL Silver ETF FOF, and Kotak Silver ETF FoF, have collectively yielded a return of approximately 27% year-to-date.
Silver is subject to fluctuations influenced by a variety of economic, geopolitical, and technological factors. In contrast to gold, silver boasts extensive industrial applications, particularly in the fields of electronics, solar energy, semiconductors, and medical equipment. As advancements in technology progress, it is anticipated that the demand for silver within these sectors will rise, potentially leading to an increase in prices.
Silver ETFs have been gaining traction among investors. In the FY2025 up to September, silver ETF inflows reached Rs 4,993 crore, with rs 1,664 crore coming in August alone.
Sriram BKR, Senior Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, noted that FY25 flows were 9.9 times higher than those of FY24 during the same period. Additionally, Silver ETF Folios saw a 236% year-on-year increase as of September. It seems that investors are showing interest in Silver ETFs as a way to diversify their portfolios or to take advantage of short-term market movements. Some of the inflows may also be coming from individuals shifting from purchasing physical silver.
Recently, Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal shared his outlook on silver. He said silver has transformed from a traditional precious metal to a crucial industrial resource, driven by new-age technologies.
“In India, prices have crossed Rs 1 lakh per kg! Demand has doubled from last year. Silver’s demand is being driven not just by its traditional uses but by massive industrial demand. It is now being used extensively in solar panels for renewable energy, in EVs, in advanced healthcare, electronics and many other technologies,” Agarwal said.
For silver, Agarwal said the combination of being precious and functional is rare and the demand supply gap is increasing. “It is the new critical mineral of the future,” he said.
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