iShares Physical Silver
Stockmarket ticker: SSLN
Sector: Alternatives/Commodities
Total expense ratio: 0.20% a year
What does it invest in?
iShares Physical Silver ETC invests in silver bullion by buying physical bars of the precious metal. It aims to track the current (‘spot’) price of silver.
Why would you consider it for your portfolio?
Like gold, silver has traditionally been seen as a safe haven in times of turmoil and a hedge against inflation.
Also like gold, it tends to have a low correlation to the performance of equities and bonds, making it a potentially useful diversifier for a conventional portfolio.
That said, the silver price has fallen heavily since the spring in the face of rising interest rates and other economic headwinds.
ETCs (commodity-based ETFs) are one of the easiest ways to invest directly in precious metals such as silver — other types of funds tend to invest in shares of precious metal miners.
iShares Physical Silver ETC (SSLN) is low cost, has been operating for more than a decade, and has £350m of assets.
Does it pay an income?
No, there’s no income from physically investing in a metal such as silver.
How has it performed?
The ETC is up 35.3% over 5 years (returns as at 30 Sept 2022, Bloomberg data).
Please note, past performance is not necessarily a reliable indicator of future performance.
You can invest in iShares Physical Silver ETC via InvestEngine’s commission-free DIY platform
Has this ETF/ETC made an appearance in your investment portfolio? If so, are you happy with it? Leave a comment below