Posted 31st January 2023

A Historical Guide to the Gold-Silver Ratio

the gold-silver ratio

The gold-silver ratio (“GSR”) measures the number of ounces of silver that can be purchased with one ounce of gold. But more than that, the GSR is a useful metric to measure the value of silver relative to the value of gold. It also reflects the relative interest or disinterest in the precious metals sector as an investment and wealth preservation asset.

Historical Overview of the Gold-Silver Ratio

 The chart below (source: TradingView) shows the gold-silver ratio from 1700 to the present:

gold-silver ratio 1700 to present

Factors That Influence the Gold-Silver Ratio

Between 1920 and the present, the GSR became highly volatile relative to the centuries preceding 1920, with the GSR fluctuating between 25 and 100. In my opinion, the primary cause of this volatility was the gradual drift of the world to an unbacked, fiat monetary system. While the global monetary system was still attached to a fixed price of gold until 1971, the world began to drift away from a strict gold standard beginning in 1913, when the Federal Reserve was established.

Another factor that directly influences the price of silver is economic supply and demand. As such, the GSR also fluctuates in cycles that correlate with economic cycles. With 70% of silver production used for industrial purposes, the demand for a large percentage of silver produced annually ebbs and flows with the economic cycle. This in turn translates into cyclical price fluctuations for silver as well as the GSR.

Additionally, I would also argue that the “financialization” of gold and silver trading has introduced an added dimension of volatility to the prices of gold and silver and, therefore, the GSR. While I can trace trading in silver futures back to 1963, gold futures were introduced in 1974. As shown in the chart above, the last time the GSR traded as low as 25 was 1971 when the world went completely off the gold standard.

Since 1974, after gold futures trading commenced on the Comex, the GSR has spent most of its time above 50 and has averaged 60. To an extent, Futures trading can, over short periods of time, dictate the directional movement in the prices of gold and silver; when the price of gold declines, the price of silver declines more on a percentage basis. This latter attribute is because the silver market is smaller and more volatile than gold. This would explain the higher average ratio level of the GSR since 1974, particularly when the prices of both are declining.

The chart below shows the GSR on a weekly basis since 2000. This was the year when the 20-year precious metals bear market began to bottom and launch into the ongoing secular bull market:

gold-silver ratio since 2000, weekly view

How to Trade the Gold-Silver Ratio

Given the cyclical pattern of the GSR shown in the long-term chart above, it may be tempting to employ trading and/or investing strategies based on the relative level of the GSR and the relative price differential between gold and silver. The black horizontal lines show the “90th percentile” levels for highs and lows in the GSR since 2006.

For long-term investors focused on physical ownership rather than riskier, shorter-term trading strategies, the GSR can be an indicator of when to buy more silver or gold. Given the historical pattern of the GSR since 2006, when it is above the upper black line, silver is relatively cheap compared to gold, which suggests a buying opportunity for silver. The reverse is true when the GSR is at or below the lower black line boundary. In between the two lines is a matter of preference, but the relative premiums for minted gold and silver products might influence the decisions.

In addition to owning physical precious metals in your account, for which you can ask delivery at any time, the platform offers the seamless, low-fee ability to shift between holding gold and silver or simply shifting the relative percentage weighting of each metal.


Dave Kranzler is a hedge fund manager, precious metals analyst and author. After years of trading expertise build-up on Wall Street, Dave now co-manages a Denver-based, precious metals and mining stock investment fund.