Think of it as a potential silver lining for investors. A burgeoning shortage of the precious white metal is promising to boost its price as 2019 rolls out.
Silver surged 9.1% in December, its biggest monthly gain in almost two years. This year, with miners avoiding new projects amid global economic uncertainty, the price could spike as high as $17.50/oz from about $15.36/oz now, according to a Bloomberg survey of 11 traders and analysts.