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How Traders Are Approaching the Rise and Rise in Silver and Platinum
• Initiate new longs – Buy at market and chase the move, or place limit orders to enter on modest pullbacks. Momentum is incredibly strong, with silver up 7% last week (platinum +11% w/w), taking YTD gains to 60%. A body in motion tends to stay in motion, and while technically overbought, pullbacks could remain shallow. The precious metals complex is elevated for a reason—the market clearly loves the story.
• Fade the rally with short positions – Take the view that the rally is overdone. Classic technical indicators flash “overbought,” with silver trading at a 15% premium to the 50-day MA and two standard deviations above the long-term average. Mean reversion traders may see an opportunity for a downside move.
• Stand aside – Sometimes no position is the best position. Risk is skewed both ways. XAGUSD could just as easily fall 20% as rally another 10%. Being short in a strong momentum market can be costly, even if the directional call eventually proves correct.
• Trade relative value vs gold – Remove a straight directional bias by using a pairs trade. For example, if you believe gold will outperform silver, go long gold and short silver, netting off performance and focusing on relative moves. The chart below shows the silver/gold ratio, which can be useful when considering a long/short strategy.
There are many other ways traders might approach this set-up, depending on their strategy. But it remains a superb case study in how traders respond to a market rallying with incredible strength, which is now largely driven by momentum and systematic flows.
Naturally, positioning and volume become key to spotting potential fatigue. Technical indicators and divergence signals can help, but ultimately price is the best fundamental. Until sellers take control, shorting a ripping market can feel like swimming against a powerful current.
Good luck to all.
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