Key takeaways
- Silver has gained 14% year to date, rising more than 6% on Tuesday above $81.
- The recovery accelerated after the United States captured Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro on January 3, sparking demand for hard assets.
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Silver soared above $81 on Tuesday, rising more than 6% on the day and extending its 2026 gains to 14%, as geopolitical tensions following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States fueled safe-haven demand.
In 2025, silver gained 145%, briefly reaching an all-time high near $84 before retreating to $71 by the end of the year. But the recovery resumed at the start of the new year, as geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic dynamics pushed hard assets higher.
The latest surge brought silver’s market cap to about $4.5 trillion, putting it just below Nvidia, which currently sits at $4.6 trillion, according to company market cap data.
Silver could soon overtake Nvidia to become the world’s second-largest asset, behind gold, as investors increasingly look to hard assets to protect themselves and preserve their purchasing power.
