[SMM Daily Review: Precious Metals Under Short-Term Pressure, Spot Premiums Steady Amid Thin Trading] SMM, June 23: Rising interest rate hike expectations coupled with a stronger US dollar are putting pressure on precious metals in the short term. Spot consumption is weak, and transactions are stable at low premiums.

June 21, 2026 As of June 19, 2026, by Florian Grummes While the start of spring on March 23 initially sparked a broad recovery in the price of silver and even led to a surprising peak of $89.36, silver prices have come under significant pressure again since May 13. It wasn’t until a sell-off low of $61.50 that a strong—though so far short-lived—rally to $71.55 began last week. Since Wednesday evening, however, precious metal prices have once again come under heavy selling pressure. The trigger was the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, which caused a sharp pullback in precious metal prices. The open price gap at $68.35 was quickly closed, after which the silver price fell further to $63.28. As a result, roughly two-thirds of the previous recovery has already been lost. Since the beginning of the year, silver has also posted a decline of about 10%. Compared to the price of gold, however, silver has proven somewhat more stable and has so far managed to narrowly hold above its March low of around $61. Interest Rate Shock Following Leadership Change at the Fed The already challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical environment is now facing additional headwinds from monetary policy. At its June 17, 2026, meeting, the new Fed Chair, Kevin Warsh, left key interest rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive time, but at the same time signaled that, from the central bank’s perspective, inflation remains significantly too high. This has brought the possibility of a more restrictive monetary policy more sharply into the markets’ focus, as several Fed policymakers consider an interest rate hike possible this year. For precious metals, this is a rather negative signal, as a great many market participants remain heavily focused on U.S. monetary policy. Higher yields on U.S. Treasury bonds and a stronger dollar increase the opportunity cost of holding a non-interest-bearing asset like silver, thereby limiting its upside potential. Price Declines Following a Change in Leadership at the U.S. Federal Reserve © Barclays, Bloomberg Statistically speaking, a change in leadership at the U.S. Federal Reserve is often followed by significant price declines in the stock and financial markets during the first three months, as market participants must first reassess the monetary policy stance and reaction patterns. At the same time, decision-making processes and communication practices take time to establish themselves, which can lead to increased volatility and cautious positioning in the markets in the short term. Of particular importance this time is the shift in communication at the top of the central bank. Under the new Fed Chair, Kevin Warsh, the previous practice of providing advance notice regarding the future path of interest rates has largely been discontinued, which could further increase uncertainty in the markets. Warsh intends to place a strong emphasis on combating inflation, a move that many market participants immediately interpreted as a signal of tighter monetary policy. Restrictive Monetary Policy Weighs on the Markets Instead of the previously hoped-for interest rate cuts, there are now increasing signs of possible rate hikes, which makes stocks less attractive, as higher interest rates increase financing costs and cause future earnings to be discounted more heavily. This uncertainty led to a significant decline in the S&P 500, with other indices also posting losses. In addition, Warsh’s first press conference reinforced the impression of a shift in policy within the Fed, causing investors to become more cautious for the time being and potentially withdraw capital from riskier investments. This underscores how sensitively the markets react to changes in monetary policy and how those changes are communicated. Real Economy and Industry Are Weakening In addition to monetary policy, the real economy is also sending mixed signals. Weak data from the freight and trucking sectors suggest that industrial activity is losing momentum, which is particularly relevant for silver given its heavy industrial use. Unlike gold, silver is not only a monetary store of value but also an industrial metal. When the economy loses momentum, this can dampen physical demand and temporarily slow upward price movements. Gold and Central Banks as a Strategic Tailwind 2026 Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey © World Gold Council T he same, gold remains the most important benchmark for the price of silver. While gold was able to recover quickly to over $4,380 following the recent correction—only to then plummet to $4,121—strategic demand from central banks remains a strong tailwind for the entire precious metals sector. The Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey 2026 shows that, over the past four years, central banks worldwide have accumulated an average of 1,000 metric tons of gold per year—significantly more than in the previous decade. Furthermore, 89 percent of the central banks surveyed expect global gold reserves to rise over the next twelve months, while 74 percent anticipate a decline in the dollar’s share of global reserves. This trend does not apply identically to silver, but it provides strong indirect support. When real assets, diversification, and geopolitical hedging gain importance, silver typically benefits as a downstream, more volatile companion to the gold market. Silver in U.S. Dollars – Early Summer Volatility Silver in U.S. dollars, daily chart as of June 19, 2026. © Gold.de From a technical perspective, the silver price has been moving largely sideways since the first sell-off in early February. However, the series of lower highs underscores the clearly corrective nature of the movement. In the range between approximately $61 and $64, the bulls have so far consistently repelled the bears’ attacks and repeatedly initiated bullish counter-moves. Most recently, silver rebounded last week from $61.50 to Monday’s high of $71.55. This recovery, however, proved short-lived, and silver prices fell back to today’s low of $63.28. As a result, silver is now trading below both its slightly declining 50-day moving average ($79.01) and its still-rising 200-day moving average ($68.24). The 200-day moving average, in particular, should actually stabilize the current sell-off and allow for at least a broader consolidation around the $68 level in the coming weeks. While the weekly stochastic has now reached oversold territory, the momentum oscillator on the daily chart is already pointing downward again. Overall, this paints a picture that can, at best, be interpreted as an early-summer shakeout. In other words, before the summer rally begins, precious metal prices are slowly forming a solid foundation amid erratic and rather weak price action. Once that foundation is laid, a significant recovery should follow in response to the correction that has lasted about four and a half months. In the process, the silver price should then be able to reclaim its 50-day moving average. However, should the stock markets come under pressure and hopes for a de-escalation and continued peace negotiations in the Middle East prove to be illusory, the outlook could darken significantly this summer. In this case, price action on the silver market could also be interpreted as a descending triangle. A break below the $60 to $61 level would confirm this scenario and trigger price targets well below $50. Conclusion: Silver—A Summer Rally Despite an Interest Rate Shock? Silver is currently at a macroeconomic and technical tipping point. In the short term, headwinds dominate: tighter monetary policy, rising real interest rates, and an economic slowdown all argue against a rapid and dynamic upward move. At the same time, the Fed’s policy shift is causing increased uncertainty—a factor that typically draws liquidity away from more cyclical assets like silver. However, two stabilizing forces counter this: a correction that has already been underway for about four and a half months, and increasingly oversold market conditions. Combined with structurally strong demand for gold, this creates an environment that suggests a bottoming-out phase rather than an immediate trend reversal. The support zone around $60 to $61 is therefore crucial. If this support holds, the current period of weakness is likely to turn out to be a classic early-summer bottoming process, from which a recovery toward the 50-day moving average and beyond should become possible as early as midsummer. However, if silver falls sustainably below $60, this would confirm the formation of a descending triangle. In this scenario, the correction would transition into a new downtrend—with price targets well below $50. The coming weeks are therefore likely to be shaped less by trend strength than by decision-making—with an uncomfortably high degree of dependence on geopolitical maneuvers, monetary policy communication, and macroeconomic surprises. Author: Florian Grummes Precious Metals Expert and Technical Analyst www.goldnewsletter.de Source: GOLD.DE

Today, SMM's 10:00 AM price for Ag (T+D) on the Shanghai Gold Exchange was 15,800 yuan/kg, with premiums quoted maintained at parity to +20 yuan/kg over TD and an average premium of +10 yuan/kg. Geopolitically, over the weekend, the Iranian side stated that the US openly reneged on its commitment and failed to implement the first clause of the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war. Meanwhile, given Israel's continued violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Iranian military announced on Saturday the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The uncertainty amid repeated US-Iran conflict continued to impact precious metal market trading. Spot market, overall transactions today remained sluggish. Suppliers' quotes were relatively firm, with mainstream premiums maintained at parity to +20 yuan/kg over TD. The overall quoted premiums edged up slightly from last Friday, but actual trades still leaned towards the lower end. Morning quotes in Shanghai concentrated around parity to +20 yuan/kg over TD, with some non-deliverable silver ingot spot cargoes quoted below mainstream levels. Low-priced supply in other regions was also relatively limited. Smelters' quotes mostly hovered around parity to +10 yuan/kg. Affected by persistent silver price fluctuations, downstream purchasing sentiment was relatively cautious, with restocking driven mainly by rigid demand; the wait-and-see sentiment remained pronounced. Overall, spot market transactions extended their sluggish pattern today, with moderate trading activity.

This week, the price spread between SGE T+D and the SHFE August contract remained in the range of 40-60 yuan/kg. As of Thursday, premiums for mainstream quotations of standard silver ingot in the Shanghai market against T+D rose to parity to slight premium, with transaction quotes mostly falling within the range of parity to a premium of 20 yuan/kg against SGE T+D. Silver prices this week were mainly driven by the US Fed's interest rate meeting in the early hours of Thursday and the formal signing and taking effect of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. Downstream consumption was overall sluggish as silver prices rebounded slightly during the week. Inventories, as the holiday approached, some suppliers cleared their inventories, coupled with long-term contracts locked in and export quota reservations weakening the willingness to sell, and some upstream smelters started routine maintenance, social inventories of silver ingot in Shanghai and Shenzhen regions saw overall destocking.

[Price review] Silver prices stabilized and rebounded this week (6.15-6.18) after a continuous early decline. Easing US-Iran tensions saw both domestic and overseas futures hold up well, with the price center edging up slightly WoW. Market attention was focused on the Fed’s FOMC meeting early Thursday morning. The Fed kept the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged, the fourth straight hold, but the latest dot plot showed a generally more hawkish shift among officials—the majority expected no rate cuts this year, and nearly half saw further rate hikes as possible. The statement noted inflation remains above target, and rising energy costs and geopolitical risks add to inflation uncertainty. Fed Chairman Warsh reiterated at the press conference that the Fed is firmly committed to bringing inflation back to its 2% long-term goal and will not pivot to accommodative policy in the short term. Following the meeting, silver dipped briefly but then recovered on technical buying as expectations of further rate hikes did not materially increase. On the geopolitical front, a US-Iran memorandum of understanding was formally signed and took effect, kicking off a 60-day negotiation period. In industrial demand, premiums for mainstream quotations of national standard silver ingots against TD in the Shanghai market were basically flat WoW; mainstream quotations stayed at parity to slight premiums, with most trades concluded at parity to a premium of 20 yuan/kg against TD on the Shanghai Gold Exchange. Downstream consumption turned sluggish as silver prices rebounded slightly. On the inventory side, as the holiday approached, some suppliers cleared their stock, while the willingness to sell was weak given locked long-term contracts and reserved export quotas. Additionally, some upstream smelters started routine maintenance. Social inventories of silver ingots in Shanghai and Shenzhen saw overall destocking. As for the gold/silver ratio, the LBMA gold/silver ratio was around 67 as of June 17. [Key data] Bearish: The June FOMC meeting kept rates at 3.50-3.75% unchanged, but the dot plot showed the majority of members expected no rate cuts this year and some supported further hikes, indicating an overall hawkish Fed stance. Fed Chairman Warsh said inflation remains clearly above the 2% target, monetary policy will stay restrictive, and clear rate-cut signals are unlikely in the near term. The U.S. labor market remains resilient, with unemployment around 4.3%, dampening market expectations for rapid easing. Bullish: A US-Iran memorandum of understanding was formally signed and took effect, initiating a 60-day negotiation period. Peru's energy crisis persists, with the nationwide state of emergency extended to year-end. Already 12 large mines have adopted staggered production, and May silver output is expected to decline 5-8%. The global supply-demand gap remains, offering some floor support to silver prices. [Near-term Focus] June 20: US June University of Michigan consumer sentiment index preliminary; June 26: US Q1 GDP final; June 27: US May core PCE price index; Key focus: changes in US inflation data, developments in the Middle East situation, and the progress of strait reopening. [Price Forecast] Silver is expected to hold up well next week. Ongoing attention is needed on the uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran situation. Trump has threatened Iran with further strikes if it fails to comply with the terms of the agreement. After the Fed’s June policy meeting concluded, market uncertainty about the policy path temporarily subsided. Although the Fed’s overall tone remains hawkish, expectations for additional rate hikes have not increased. Silver’s previous bearish factors have been largely released. However, US Treasury yields will continue to exert some pressure on silver, and prices may move sideways. On the domestic fundamentals side, downstream enterprises maintain rigid demand-based purchases while pushing for lower prices. Selling pressure on low-priced spot cargo has eased, and social inventory of spot silver ingots has been destocking overall. Yet sentiment has not fully recovered. Mainstream spot transaction discounts/premiums are expected to remain within the range of parity to a premium of 20 yuan/kg against the Shanghai Gold Exchange TD contract. A shift toward higher premiums in the short term appears unlikely.

Published: Jun 17, 2026 - 4:09 AM In this presentation, Jeffrey Christian of CPM Group gives a precious metals update focused on gold, silver, platinum, and palladium prices. He also explains how CPM Group analyzes supply, demand, investment demand, as well as market balances. Jeff discusses the gold price outlook, silver market update, price consolidation, and the potential for continued volatility over the next several months. Jeff then explains why CPM Group separates investment demand from fabrication demand when calculating precious metals surpluses and deficits. He discusses the difference between metal used by fabricators and metal bought by investors, why investment demand is a major driver of gold, silver, and platinum prices, and why including investment demand with fabrication demand can distort the view of the physical market. The presentation also looks CPM Group’s historical buy and sell recommendations for gold, silver, and platinum, showing how better research, better data, and a disciplined approach to supply and demand analysis can lead to stronger investment results. CPM thanks Monetary Metals for making this paid CPM research available to our viewers. If you're interested in learning more about how gold leasing works, visit www.Monetary-Metals.com/CPM Source： https://www.kitco.com/opinion/2026-06-16/silver-price-forecast-60-price-risk-next-move-higher