Topic: How To Invest

Pat: What do you think about the iShares Silver Bullion ETF and the Horizons BetaPro COMEX Silver Bull Plus ETF as ways to invest in silver? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

iShares Silver Bullion ETF, $12.27, symbol SVR on Toronto (Units outstanding: 5.0 million; Market cap: $61.4 million; ca.ishares.com), is an example of an ETF with the kinds of “bells & whistles” mentioned above. iShares Silver Bullion ETF aims to replicate the performance of the price of silver bullion, less the fund’s fees and expenses. Unlike stocks, commodity investments like silver bullion do not generate income. Instead, they come with a continuing cash drain for management, insurance and so on. In general, we recommend staying away from buying silver or gold bullion, coins (unless you collect them as a hobby) or certificates representing an interest in bullion. However, if you do want to hold silver bullion, the iShares Silver Bullion ETF is a relatively low-cost and liquid way to do it. The iShares Silver Bullion ETF is hedged against movements of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar. Its value rises and falls solely with the movements of silver prices. But like almost all hedged…