Silver was priced at $68.34 per ounce at 7:15 a.m. Eastern Time today, down 21 cents from yesterday’s $68.55, or 0.30%. It was up 17.42% from $58.20 a month ago and 77.04% from $38.60 a year ago, an increase of more than $29. The article says silver has improved more than 150% over the past year and reached decade-high levels, while also noting that its historical performance has significantly lagged stocks: since 1921, silver has trailed the S&P 500 by about 96%. Silver is generally viewed as a store of value and an inflation hedge, but its industrial uses in gadgets, healthcare tools, solar and electronics can make it more volatile than gold. Investors can gain exposure through bullion, coins, jewelry, mining stocks or ETFs (exchange-traded funds), while physical silver and funds carry different storage, logistics and market risks. On exchange platforms, bullion and coins must be at least 99.9% pure. Analysts cited in the article predict a possible continued uptrend, although investors seeking stronger growth may be disappointed. Advisors typically recommend allocating no more than 10% to 15% of a portfolio to silver and capping total precious-metals exposure at 20%.