Structural Shortages and Strategic Demand Drive Silver Price Toward $100

XAG price has surged past $90 per ounce for the first time in history, sending US Silver Eagles to over $100 per coin at dealers.

The move prompted an extraordinary move by the US Mint, which suspended all silver numismatic sales.

US Mint Suspends Sales Amid Soaring Silver Demand

Officials cited extreme price volatility and the inability to accurately price products, signaling a strain in physical silver supply rather than speculative excess.

“This is not normal. At all…When the Mint pauses sales, it means physical demand is overwhelming the system, and the paper price is no longer accurately reflecting the market value. This is how every silver squeeze starts: sales halted, premiums explode, availability vanishes,”  said market commentator Echo X.

The historic price breakout reflects a combination of:

• Safe-haven demand
• Expectations of Fed rate cuts
• Tightening physical markets, and
• Booming industrial use

Like analysts from Citigroup, industry leaders such as Keith Neumeyer, CEO of First Majestic Silver, project that silver could surpass $100 per ounce in the coming months.

Market mechanics are also intensifying the move. As Sunil Reddy explained, the silver market is structurally short against real metal. CME margin hikes, typically used to slow leverage-driven rallies, are instead accelerating pressure on shorts.

Producers and bullion banks, tied to delivery obligations rather than mark-to-market risk, are forced to cover their positions faster, compressing time and driving prices higher. Futures markets are decoupling from physical, premiums are rising, and liquidity is thinning.

“Margins kill leverage, not scarcity,” Reddy noted.

Investors Brace for $100 Silver Amid Systemic Supply Stress

Against this backdrop, long-time precious metals investors point to a structural imbalance that has been built up over decades.

“Sellers have been thinned out, and now there’s a hungry rush after the available inventories,” said Peter Spina. “For those who have held silver as a store of safety for years, they are not likely to be dumping anytime soon. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

The surge comes against a backdrop of broader financial stress. JP Morgan’s latest earnings report highlighted delayed bond issuance, a softening labor market, and growing corporate debt pressures—all early signs of tightening credit conditions.

Analysts such as Jeffrey Snider argue this confirms silver’s rise is more than a speculative spike. Rather, it is a signal of underlying market strain.

Further complicating matters, some industry experts warn of strategic pressures behind the scenes. Jim Ferguson, citing Andy Schectman of Miles Franklin, outlined a coordinated extraction of physical silver by:

• Central banks
• Sovereign wealth funds, and
• Commercial traders.

The system is heavily leveraged. This is amidst roughly 2 billion ounces of paper promises backed by only 140 million ounces of physical metal.

Ferguson highlighted China’s recent moves to restrict silver exports. He emphasized the metal’s critical role as a national security asset embedded in high-tech weapons, AI infrastructure, and solar power systems.

“This isn’t a trade…This is a quiet collapse of paper dominance over physical silver—and the public is being kept in the dark,” Ferguson added.

As silver continues its historic ascent, market participants say $100 silver may no longer be the inevitable next milestone. This comes as the US Mint is on pause and physical demand overwhelms paper markets.