Silver DivergenceDivergence and Gold/Silver Ratio
Gold and silver are thought to move together, and often they do. There are periods where the Gold Trust (GLD) and Silver Trust (SLV) move in opposite directions and periods where one metal outperforms the other.
Gold is currently outperforming silver. Such discrepancies occur and are monitored by the gold/silver ratio. The gold/silver ratio shows how many ounces of silver it takes to buy an ounce of gold. Since 1975, the average is near 60; right now it stands near 80 ($1,187 divided by $14.99).
While gold outperformance, or silver's underperformance relative to gold, was very noticeable in early 2016, this has actually been going on for a long time. The outperformance has become even more pronounced since 2016. To start 2016, gold traded at $1,069 and silver at $13.80 -- the gold/silver ratio of 77.5. As of Oct. 2018, it's at 80. Gold prices have risen relative to silver prices quite steadily for years. This is mainly due to silver price weakness since peaking near $50 in 2011 (when silver outperformed gold).
