New Delhi, Dec. 3 -- Is silver set to emerge from the shadow of gold as a precious metal? Although its price fell about 2% on Tuesday, it has been enjoying a bull run that makes this dip seem more like a pause for breath than the start of a correction. Longer trends underline this bullish sentiment.

It has almost doubled this year, outpacing gold's 60%-odd rise. On 2 December, it was trading at Rs.1,74,549 per kilogram, down from its record high of Rs.1,78,620 the day earlier, and internationally at $56.97 per ounce after slipping from its $58.47 peak the previous session.

Unlike gold, silver is not just in demand as an investment vehicle and jewellery input, but also as an industrial material, given its use in a range of products from ...