The recent surge in silver prices (especially in late December 2025) is a "perfect storm" created by escalating geopolitical crises, expectations of macroeconomic easing, and an imbalance between supply and demand fundamentals. As of December 27, 2025, silver prices have broken historical highs (some trading platforms show a break above $75-$77/ounce), with a year-to-date increase of over 140%, far outperforming gold. The following are the core reasons for the recent surge (especially since mid-to-late December): 1. Direct Trigger: Escalation of the US-Venezuela Geopolitical Crisis (Mid-to-Late December) This is the most direct driving force behind the recent surge. Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated sharply around Christmas, triggering a surge in market risk aversion: * Maritime Blockade: Around December 17th, the US announced a "maritime blockade" (or quarantine) of sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, and in the following days (December 20th-22nd), intercepted several tankers (such as the "Skipper" and "Centuries"). * War Risk Pricing: Market concerns that the conflict could escalate into a wider military confrontation or disrupt the oil supply chain led to a massive influx of funds into precious metals as a safe haven. Silver, being a more volatile precious metal, often saw its price increases amplified during this period of panic. 2. Macroeconomic Drivers: Fed Rate Cut Expectations and a Weaker Dollar Despite the year-end, market bets on monetary policy in 2026 are very aggressive: * Rate Cut Expectations: The market widely bets that the Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates in 2026, and even implement more aggressive easing policies. A low-interest-rate environment is highly beneficial for silver, which does not generate interest. * **Weak Dollar:** Influenced by expectations of interest rate cuts and geopolitical factors, the US dollar index weakened in late December, making dollar-denominated silver more attractive to global buyers. 3. **Fundamental Support:** Industrial Demand and its "Shortage" Narrative This is not short-term speculation, but rather a long-term supply-demand imbalance ignited at the end of the year: * **PV and AI Demand:** 2025 is touted as a breakout year for PV and AI hardware (data centers), both heavily reliant on silver (especially PV silver paste). Industrial demand has continuously drained surface inventories. * **Supply Deficit:** The silver market will experience a severe supply shortage throughout 2025. As year-end inventory data tightens further, industrial buyers and speculators, fearing a "supply disruption," begin to buy. 4. **Market Sentiment:** Catch-up Effect and Short Squeeze * **Gold-Silver Ratio Correction:** Gold led the gains for most of the year, but towards the end of the year, market funds began to flow into relatively "cheap" silver for a catch-up rally. The gold/silver ratio has narrowed rapidly, meaning silver is rising much faster than gold. * Holiday Liquidity: Late December coincides with the Christmas holidays in Europe and the US, resulting in thin market liquidity. Sudden major positive developments at this time (such as geopolitical conflicts) often cause sudden and dramatic price fluctuations (i.e., a "holiday short squeeze"). Summary: This surge was caused by panic triggered by the US naval blockade of Venezuela, coupled with expectations of interest rate cuts in 2026 and already extremely tight industrial inventories, leading to a historic "short squeeze" surge in silver prices at the end of the year.