The reason behind this discrepancy is that, while both gold and silver are obviously precious metals, priced by the ounce rather than the tonne, their demand profiles are really very different. Estimates of industrial demand for silver vary, but they coalesce around the 50% level. Aside from its coveted beauty, silver is the best thermal and electrical conductor of all elemental metals. Meanwhile gold is much more obviously a financial asset, with industrial use accounting for barely 10% of buyers. It has its industrial uses too, of course, but it’s expensive and that tends to limit them. What that means is that silver is far more vulnerable than gold to the prospect of a global recession. When growth collapses, so does that industrial demand. Some of it will no doubt be replaced by increased buying from the haven-seeking community, but far from all.