By FXEmpire.com

Introduction: Silver futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts in which the contract buyer agrees to take delivery, from the seller, a specific quantity of silver (eg. 30000 grams) at a predetermined price on a future delivery date.

Some Facts about Silver

Silver is a soft, shiny and heavy metallic element with a brilliant white luster. A very ductile and malleable metal, its thermal and electrical conductivity is the highest of all known metals.

Besides being used as a store of value, other main uses of silver include applications in areas such as electronics, photography and as antiseptics.

Consumers and producers of silver can manage silver price risk by purchasing and selling silver futures. Silver producers can employ a short hedge to lock in a selling price for the silver they produce while businesses that require silver can utilize a long hedge to secure a purchase price for the commodity they need.

Silver futures are also traded by speculators who assume the price risk that hedgers try to avoid in return for a chance to profit from favorable silver price movement. Speculators buy silver futures when they believe that silver prices will go up. Conversely, they will sell silver futures when they think that silver prices will fall.

Weekly Analysis and Recommendations:

Silver concluded the week at 28.475 following in the shadow of gold. There is not much to say about silver overall this week, as it simply moved in relationship to gold and the DI.

Date

Last

Open

High

Low

Change %

Jun 01, 2012

28.475

27.665

28.673

27.178

2.86%

May 31, 2012

27.683

27.888

28.188

27.513

-0.79%

May 30, 2012

27.903

27.728

28.142

27.358

0.66%

May 29, 2012

27.720

28.373

28.658

27.653

-2.31%

May 28, 2012

28.375

28.585

28.755

28.288

-0.74%

This coming week should be the same, stuck between a precious metal and an industrial metal; both sides of demand are down.

With worries over growth especially in China, the demand for physical metals has seen a plunge.

FxEmpire provides in-depth analysis for each currency and commodity we review. Fundamental analysis is provided in three components. We provide a detailed monthly analysis and forecast at the beginning of each month. Then we provide more up to the data analysis and information in our weekly reports.

Historical:

Highest: 49.813 on Apr 25, 2011

Average: 27.592 over this period.

Lowest: 14.655 on Feb 05, 2010

Economic Highlights of the coming week that affect the Euro, GBP, CHF and the USD

Date

Time

Currency

Forecast

Previous

Jun 5

9:00

EUR

Retail Sales m/m

0.3%

10:00

EUR

German Factory Orders m/m

2.2%

14:00

USD

ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI

53.5

Jun 6

6th-8th

GBP

Halifax HPI m/m

8:30

GBP

Construction PMI

55.8

10:00

EUR

German Industrial Production m/m

2.8%

12:30

EUR

ECB Press Conference

12:30

USD

Revised Nonfarm Productivity q/q

-0.5%

14:30

USD

Crude Oil Inventories

18:00

USD

Beige Book

23:01

GBP

BRC Retail Sales Monitor y/y

-3.3%

Jun 7

7:00

CHF

Foreign Currency Reserves

235.6B

7:15

CHF

CPI m/m

0.1%

8:30

GBP

Services PMI

53.3

11:00

GBP

Asset Purchase Facility

325B

11:00

GBP

Official Bank Rate

0.50%

0.50%

TBD

GBP

MPC Rate Statement

12:30

USD

Unemployment Claims

383K

14:00

USD

Fed Chairman Bernanke Testifies

Jun 8

8:30

GBP

PPI Input m/m

-1.5%

8:30

GBP

Consumer Inflation Expectations

3.5%

12:30

USD

Trade Balance

-51.8B

14:00

USD

Fed Chairman Bernanke Testifies

Click here to read Silver Technical Analysis.

Originally posted here