Silver — Events & Drivers

Analysis date: 2026-03-13

Unified Events

idnameparentcategorytemporalStaterealizationStatusvaluetrendsignificancedirectionmagnitudedurationprobabilityconfidencedatestartDateprojectedEndleadTimeleadTimeBasissourceTypelastUpdatedtopicssourcesevidenceForevidenceAgainstleadTimeEvidencereferences
EV001COMEX registered inventory at record low 88.78M oz-supplypresentconfirmed88.78M ozdeclininghighbullishmajorsustained-high2026-03-092020-04-01---llm-search2026-03-13inventory,supply,comex,physicalS001SF001,SF002,SF003,SF004--EV006
EV002Byproduct supply constraint (~75% of silver from copper/zinc)-supplypresentconfirmed75%stablehighbullishmajorstructural-high2026-03-13----llm-search2026-03-13supply,mining,byproductS002SF013,SF014,SF015--EV003
EV003Grasberg copper mine force majeure-supply----mediumbullishmoderateshort-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV004Chile copper mine disruptions (Las Bambas, Capstone, El Teniente)-supply----lowbullishminortransient-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV005China smelter output cuts ~10% planned-supply----mediumbullishmoderatesustained-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV00667M oz structural market deficit (6th consecutive year)-supplypresentconfirmed67M oz deficitstablehighbullishmajorstructural-high2026-03-132021-01-012026-12-31--llm-search2026-03-13supply,demand,deficit,structuralS003SF011,SF012--EV001,EV009
EV007Primary silver mine supply flat-supply----lowneutralminorstructural-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV008Chile 13 copper projects advancing-supply----lowbearishminorsustained-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV009Solar/PV demand ~160M oz forecast for 2026-demandpresentconfirmed160M ozacceleratinghighbullishmajorstructural-high2026-03-132020-01-01---llm-search2026-03-13demand,solar,industrial,structuralS004SF005,SF006,SF007SF008,SF009-EV017
EV010US solar capacity +70 GW forecast 2026-2027-demand----mediumbullishmoderatesustained-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV011EV/5G structural demand growth-demand----mediumbullishmoderatestructural-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV012Total industrial demand ~690M oz (55% of total)-demand----highbullishmajorstructural-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV013Gold/silver ratio at 59.6:1 (below 65-75 avg)-demand----mediumneutralminorshort-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV014Gold trading at ~$5,110 (supporting precious complex)-demandpresentconfirmed$5,110stablehighbullishmoderatesustained-high2026-03-13----llm-search2026-03-13gold,precious-metals,correlationS005---EV013
EV015China copper imports -16.1% YoY (Jan-Feb)-demand----mediumbearishmoderateshort-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV016China Manufacturing PMI 49.0 (contraction)-demandpresentconfirmed49.0decliningmediumbearishmoderateshort-medium2026-03-042026-02-01---llm-search2026-03-13demand,china,industrial,pmiS006SF016SF017-EV015
EV017China solar substitution to copper (Longi, Jinko, Aiko)-demandfutureannouncedQ2 2026acceleratingmediumbearishmoderatesustained70%medium2026-03-132026-04-012026-12-311-3 monthsCompany announcementsllm-search2026-03-13demand,solar,substitution,copperS007SF008,SF009SF010Longi, Jinko, Aiko announcementsEV009
EV018US Non-Farm Payrolls -92,000 (Feb)-demand----lowbearishminorshort-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV019Safe-haven rotation from gold visible-demand----lowbullishminortransient-------llm-search2026-03-13------
EV020VIX elevated ~30+ (stagflation fear)-demand----lowbearishminortransient-------llm-search2026-03-13------

Sources

idsourceauthortypedatequoteaudiencecredibilityimpactreferences
S001CME Group-exchange-report2026-03-09COMEX registered silver: 88.78M ozpublichighDirect inventory dataEV001
S002Silver Institute-industry-report2026-01-15Approximately 75% of silver supply is from byproduct productionpublichighStructural supply constraintEV002
S003Silver Institute-industry-report2026-02-202026 market deficit forecast at 67M ozpublichighStructural deficit continuesEV006
S004BloombergNEF-research-report2026-03-01Solar sector silver demand ~160M oz for 2026publichighStructural demand driverEV009
S005Oanda-market-data2026-03-13XAU_USD: $5,110.50publichighGold price supportEV014
S006NBS China-government-report2026-03-04Manufacturing PMI: 49.0publichighIndustrial demand weaknessEV016
S007Reuters-news-report2026-02-28Longi, Jinko announce copper-based solar cell mass production Q2 2026publicmediumPotential silver substitutionEV017

Sub-Factors

idsubFactorparenttypevalueEvidencestatusleadTimestartDateprojectedEndlastUpdatedsourcesreferences
SF001Registered inventory at 88.78M oz (lowest on record)EV001actionCME data shows -25.6M oz draw in 30 daysconfirmed-2020-04-01-2026-03-13S001EV001
SF002March delivery 52.6M oz standing for deliveryEV001action10,526 contracts standing per CMEconfirmed-2026-03-012026-03-312026-03-13S001EV001
SF003Stress index 84/88 (standing/registered ratio)EV001action52.6M oz vs 86-89M oz creates near-default conditionsconfirmed---2026-03-13-EV001
SF00464% decline from 2020 peak of 240M ozEV001actionHistorical comparison verifiedconfirmed---2026-03-13-EV001
SF005Global solar installations growing 20-30%/yearEV009deploymentIEA/BloombergNEF forecastsconfirmed-2020-01-01-2026-03-13S004EV009
SF006Each GW of solar requires ~20-30 tonnes silverEV009capabilityIndustry standard silver loading per panelconfirmed---2026-03-13-EV009
SF007US +70 GW solar capacity 2026-2027EV009deploymentEIA/BloombergNEF forecastconfirmed---2026-03-13-EV009
SF008Longi, Jinko, Aiko transitioning to copper-intentionAnnounced plans for back-contact cells; mass production Q2 2026partial1-3 months2026-04-012026-12-312026-03-13S007-
SF009Mass production Q2 2026-deploymentFuture date; not yet verifiedunvalidated---2026-03-13--
SF010Only affects back-contact cell type-constraintTraditional PERC cells still require silverconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF0116th consecutive deficit year since 2021-actionSilver Institute annual reportsconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF012Industrial + solar demand outpacing mine supply-capabilityStructural mismatch documentedconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF013~75% of silver comes from copper/zinc mining-constraintSilver Institute dataconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF014Silver supply responds to copper/zinc prices, not silver-constraintEconomic relationship documentedconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF015Grasberg copper force majeure reduces byproduct-actionBlock Cave closed until Q2 2026confirmed---2026-03-13--
SF016Second consecutive contraction-actionNBS official data released Mar 4confirmed---2026-03-13--
SF017RatingDog PMI 52.1 diverges positively-actionAlternative measure shows expansionconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF018Current ratio below 65-75 historical average-actionCalculated from $5,110 gold / $85.12 silverconfirmed---2026-03-13--
SF019Silver "rich" vs gold at current levels-precedentHistorical mean-reversion patternconfirmed---2026-03-13--