Silver rate today: White metal plunges Rs 3,000 to Rs 1.82 lakh; gold hits record Rs 1.31 lakh/10g amid festive demand

Silver rate today: Silver prices retreated sharply on Wednesday, dropping Rs 3,000 to close at Rs 1,82,000 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) after surging Rs 6,000 to a record Rs 1,85,000 per kg on Tuesday. In the overseas market, spot silver was trading 2.81 per cent higher at $52.84 per ounce, down from a peak of $53.62 per ounce earlier.Commodities experts said the sharp volatility was driven by a historic short squeeze and tightening liquidity in the London market, forcing traders to scramble for physical silver worldwide, PTI reported. Manav Modi, Analyst – Precious Metal at Motilal Oswal Financial Services, noted, “Safe haven buying for both gold and silver continued as US-China trade tensions increased further uncertainty, with expectations of further interest rate cuts by Federal Reserve, adding to momentum.”Meanwhile, gold prices continued their upward march, rising Rs 1,000 to hit an all-time high of Rs 1,31,800 per 10 grams in the national capital amid strong retail and jeweller demand during the festive season. Gold of 99.5 per cent purity in the local bullion market also scaled a record Rs 1,31,200 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes).Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst at HDFC Securities told PTI “Gold climbed to fresh record highs on Wednesday, driven by the strong global price rally and robust domestic physical and investment demand. While the rupee’s appreciation acted as a crucial headwind, overall momentum remains firmly bullish, a trend expected to continue amidst peak festive season buying.”In international markets, spot gold reached a lifetime high of $4,218.32 per ounce. Sandip Raichura, CEO of Retail Broking & Distribution and Director at PL Capital, added, “Gold has now reached our second target of $4,200 per ounce, much faster than anticipated. China’s continued buying, which was expected to be weaker in September but turned out to be stronger, has reignited confidence in the yellow metal. ETF and other emerging market reserve bank buying continues unabated.” “Anticipation of a global downturn, US-China trade tensions, the US government shutdown, ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and potential Fed actions are all adding fuel to the fire.” he added.