Silver Rises Over 120% YTD 
Published: 03-10-2026, 10:30 am | Updated: 03-10-2026, 10:07 am
Daily News Nuggets | Today’s top stories for gold and silver investors
March 10th, 2026 | Brandon Sauerwein, Editor
Precious Metals Steady After the January Surge
Gold held near $5,200 per ounce Tuesday, with silver trading around $89.00 — keeping both metals firmly in rally territory.
So far this year, gold has gained about 18.6%, while silver has surged roughly 23.3%, outpacing its yellow-metal counterpart. The two metals spiked in mid-to-late January before a sharp correction briefly interrupted the move.
Gold and Silver Prices Year-to-Date
But the dip proved temporary. In recent weeks, both metals have been steadily regaining ground.
Silver outpacing gold isn’t a surprise to veterans of precious metals bull markets. The metal pulls from two directions at once — safe-haven demand and industrial necessity. Solar panels, electronics, and EV components all run on silver. When investor interest rises, that dual demand profile amplifies the move.
The underlying drivers haven’t changed. Inflation concerns — and what the upcoming CPI report means for gold specifically — ballooning sovereign debt, and an increasingly unstable geopolitical backdrop continue pushing capital toward hard assets.
Until those conditions shift, the trend has room to run.
Trump: The Iran War Could Be “Very Close” to Over
President Trump says the end may be near. U.S. and Israeli forces are “far ahead of schedule,” he claimed — a campaign of thousands of targeted strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s military infrastructure and containing its nuclear ambitions.
Markets took notice. If the conflict winds down quickly, some of the geopolitical risk premium baked into oil (and gold) could unwind fast.
But officials are more cautious. Attacks across the region continue. And as the next story shows, the situation on the ground tells a very different story.
Iran Expands Attacks Across the Middle East
The missiles didn’t get the memo.
Hours after Trump declared the campaign “far ahead of schedule,” Tehran launched fresh waves of missile and drone strikes — targeting Israel and Gulf states including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Regional air defenses intercepted several drones, but the breadth of the attacks made one thing clear: Iran isn’t winding down. It’s widening the war.
This is a sharp reminder of how poorly telegraphed the conflict has been from the start. What was framed as a targeted, time-limited operation has sprawled into a regional confrontation with no defined exit ramp. Iran shows no interest in ceasefire negotiations — its latest strikes appear designed to prove it can hit across the region at will.
That uncertainty has a price. The Strait of Hormuz — chokepoint for roughly 20% of global oil flows — remains under pressure. Energy costs stay elevated. Supply chains stay on edge. Until the conflict’s trajectory becomes clearer, volatility isn’t going anywhere.
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Wednesday’s CPI Report: Hotter Than Expected Would Sting
The timing couldn’t be more loaded. February’s inflation data drops Wednesday — just as war-driven energy costs and shipping disruptions are pushing prices back up. The CPI report and gold prices have a well-established relationship: when inflation runs hot, the metal tends to follow.
The Fed will be watching closely. A hotter-than-expected print could push rate cut expectations further out, keeping financial conditions tight heading into spring.
That matters across the board. Inflation surprises hit stocks, bonds, and commodities simultaneously. Gold is the exception — it tends to attract demand when inflation re-accelerates. A hot number Wednesday could be the catalyst that tests that thesis.
The World Gold Council’s Case for Gold
The World Gold Council’s February commentary is direct: the dollar’s decline isn’t over — it’s just paused. January’s brief DXY recovery, driven by positive economic surprises, looks temporary in the WGC’s view.
The structural case is straightforward. US equities and the dollar are both stretched by historical standards. The “double reward” that long drew foreign investors to US assets — strong returns plus a strong currency — is fading. Europe and Japan now offer genuine alternatives. Capital is rotating, slowly but visibly.
February’s numbers back it up. Global gold ETF inflows hit $5.3 billion last month. Asian demand was particularly strong — elevated Shanghai Futures Exchange volumes and consistent buying during Asian trading hours suggest Eastern investors aren’t waiting for Wall Street to lead.
The math is simple: a weaker dollar makes gold cheaper for every buyer outside the US. More buyers, same supply. The WGC thinks that dynamic is just getting started.
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