Silver prices today, Tuesday, July 21, 2026: Silver ticks up near $60 in early trading

Silver ( SI=F ) September futures opened at $56.71 per ounce on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 , down -0.6% from Monday's closing price. The silver price moved highe this morning, reaching $59.38 as of 8:53 a.m. ET.

Unlike gold, silver's price is driven by two primary forces, industrial demand and investor demand. Both have waned. High silver prices earlier in 2026 have contributed to double-digit declines in factory demand in some sectors. Many investors have moved away from silver also, amid expectations that inflation could keep interest rates high.

Adding complexity to silver's price dynamic is a multiyear silver shortage — 2026 will be the sixth year silver mining hasn't supported the usage. Silver is primarily produced as a byproduct of mining other metals, so production levels hinge on demand for gold, copper, lead, and zinc more so than silver's price.

Silver may be oversold, but many investors are likely awaiting definitive news on the U.S. interest rate outlook before driving the metal's price up again.

The opening price of silver futures on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, was 0.6% lower compared to Monday's closing price. Here's how today's opening silver price has changed versus last week, month, and year:

For context, silver's year-over-year growth was 173.3% on May 14.

24/7 silver price tracking: Don't forget you can monitor the current price of silver on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Silver price forecasts vary wildly by expert. Some say silver's price will hold steady or experience modest growth, while others predict huge price spikes. Here are some of the biggest predictions for silver's price:

Experts with BlackRock and J.P. Morgan agree that the outlook for silver remains strong, and its price will increase. By the end of 2026, experts predict silver's price will surpass $80 per ounce, and it could reach $100 per ounce by 2030.

Does that mean you should buy lots of silver? Be aware that predictions can change, and they may revise their forecasts at any time.

With the conflict in the Middle East, investors are increasingly concerned about economic turmoil and manufacturing supply chain disruptions. Historically, that means investors will increasingly buy precious metals, such as silver.

Because buying an ounce of gold is prohibitively expensive for new investors, silver coins or bars are a more accessible entry point, so there may be increased demand.

Compared to gold, silver's price tends to be more volatile, with more rises and falls. Its price fluctuates due to changes in industrial demand and investor confidence.

For example, at the beginning of January 2026, silver's price topped $113 per ounce. But by February, its price dropped to $77 per ounce, a decrease of about 32% in just a few weeks.

Keep reading: Silver price predictions for the next decade: What should investors expect ?

Whether you're tracking the price of silver since last month or last year, the price-of-silver chart below shows the precious metal's value journey so far this year.