What if you invested monthly in a Silver ETF (SLV) for 15 years?
See how a 15-year monthly investment into SLV, which tracks the spot price of silver, would have looked using real data. Silver is both a precious metal and an industrial metal, so it tends to be more volatile than gold.
Investment conditions
Asset · Silver ETF (SLV)
Method · Recurring monthly investment
Period · 2011-07-01 ~ 2026-07-01
Amount · $222 / month
As of · 2026-07-01
Key metrics
These results do not reflect taxes. Based on historical data.
Risk & recovery
As important as returns. This service does not hide maximum drawdown or loss periods.
Maximum drawdown (MDD)
-50.6%
Largest drop from peak
Longest loss period
91months
Months in loss: 105
Recovery period
0months
Growth over time
Invested principal (dashed) and portfolio value (solid). Values below match the calculation.
Total invested $40,222 → Final value $106,562 (+164.9%), Maximum drawdown (MDD) -50.6%
Why this period and asset
SLV tracks the spot price of silver. Silver is cited alongside gold as a safe haven and inflation hedge, but a large share of demand comes from industry (electronics, solar), so it is also affected by the economy. This dual nature makes silver more volatile than gold. In 2011 silver was near a historic high, and over the following years it fell sharply before repeated recoveries and pullbacks. It is worth noting that this scenario begins during a period of elevated silver prices.
Interpreting the result
Silver pays no interest or dividend; its gains and losses come purely from price changes. Check the maximum drawdown, underwater period, and recovery time on the results screen to understand the nature of a highly volatile commodity. It sometimes moves like gold, but industrial demand can make it swing more, and the underwater period can be quite long. Monthly investing spreads out timing but does not remove directional losses.
Caveats & limits
Silver pays no interest or dividend and relies entirely on price appreciation, and it is more volatile than gold. As a foreign asset, exchange rates affect won-denominated returns, and expense ratios, trading costs, and capital-gains taxes lower performance. Be mindful of the high starting price level. Past performance does not guarantee the future, and this page does not recommend buying.
Data sources & limits
- Price data source: Yahoo Finance / FinanceDataReader
- Collected on: 2026-07-23
- Effective trading date: 2026-07-01
- Price basis: Cierre ajustado (refleja dividendos y desdoblamientos de acciones)
- Trading fees and taxes are not reflected — figures are pre-tax.
- Based on historical data; does not guarantee future returns.
Frequently asked questions
Does silver move exactly like gold?
The direction is often similar, but silver responds to the economy too because industrial demand is a large share. As a result it swings more than gold, and its maximum drawdown on the results screen can be larger.
Does silver pay interest or dividends?
No. Holding silver produces no interest or dividend, and gains and losses come only from price changes. In fact, the ETF's expense ratio is an ongoing cost.
Can monthly investing help me endure silver's volatility?
Dollar-cost averaging can smooth your average cost by spreading out timing, but it cannot remove silver's large swings and long underwater periods. It is important to check the recovery time as well.
Related scenarios
📋 Los resultados se basan en datos históricos; las rentabilidades pasadas no garantizan rentabilidades futuras.
📋 Este servicio se ofrece con fines educativos para ayudarte a entender la inversión, no como asesoramiento de inversión.