:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GOLD_2023-05-17_09-51-04-aea62500f1a249748eb923dbc1b6993b.png)
If you woke up and checked the charts this morning, you probably did a double-take. Honestly, most people did. As of January 14, 2026, the answer to how much is silver an ounce today is a staggering $90.81.
It’s a number that felt like a fantasy just eighteen months ago. We’ve watched the "poor man's gold" absolutely tear through resistance levels that held for decades. Just this morning, spot prices pushed past the psychological $90 barrier, fueled by a perfect storm of thin inventories in London and a massive surge in industrial demand. It’s wild.
The Reality of $90 Silver
The "spot price" you see on your screen—that $90.81—is the baseline for large-scale, unfabricated metal. But if you're looking to actually hold a 1 oz American Silver Eagle or a Sunshine Mint bar, you aren't paying $90. You've got to account for the "premium," which is the dealer's cut and the cost of minting. Right now, physical premiums are hovering around 15% to 25% because everyone is scrambling to get their hands on physical coins.
You’re basically looking at $105 to $115 per ounce if you want to walk out of a coin shop with a silver round in your pocket.
Why is this happening right now?
It isn't just one thing. It's everything hitting at once. China recently threw a wrench in the gears by introducing new export restrictions on physical silver that went into effect on January 1. They want to keep the metal for their own massive electronics and EV battery sectors. Because China is such a huge player, this created an immediate "drain" on the vaults in London and Zurich.
📖 Related: Did Kristin Cabot Get Fired? What Really Happened at Astronomer
Then you have the U.S. Federal Reserve. With the late-2025 rate cuts still rippling through the economy, the dollar has been losing its edge. When the dollar gets shaky, people run to "hard assets." Silver, which was under $30 an ounce at the start of 2025, has more than tripled in value in about a year. It's the kind of momentum that feeds on itself.
How Much Is Silver An Ounce Today vs. Last Year
To understand where we are, you have to look at where we were. In early 2025, silver was sitting around $28 or $30. It was quiet. Then, the "everything rally" started.
- January 2025: ~$30.00/oz
- July 2025: ~$55.00/oz
- December 2025: ~$72.00/oz
- Today (Jan 14, 2026): $90.81/oz
That is a 200% increase in twelve months. It’s eclipsed gold's percentage gains by a mile. While gold is flirting with $4,600, silver is the one grabbing the headlines because it’s finally "catching up" to its historical ratio. For a long time, the gold-to-silver ratio was stuck at 80:1. Today, it’s compressed significantly, making silver the star performer of the precious metals world.
The Industrial Hunger
Kinda crazy to think about, but silver isn't just for jewelry or coins anymore. It’s an industrial powerhouse. Every electric vehicle (EV) rolling off the line has about one to two ounces of silver in its electrical systems. With global EV production expected to hit 15 million units this year, that’s 30 million ounces of silver just for cars.
And don’t even get me started on solar panels. The "Green Revolution" is basically built on silver paste. Solar installations grew about 14% last year, and they show no signs of slowing down. We are in a structural deficit, meaning we’re using more silver than we’re pulling out of the ground. Most silver is a byproduct of mining copper or lead, so miners can’t just "turn up the dial" on silver production because prices are high. They’d have to mine more copper first.
What the Experts Are Saying
Not everyone is convinced this rally can last forever. HSBC analysts recently put out a note suggesting that silver might be "fundamentally overvalued" at these levels. They’re forecasting a potential correction back down toward the $68 range later this year as supply bottlenecks ease.
On the flip side, Peter Schiff and other gold bugs argue we’re just in the early stages of a "supercycle." If the U.S. deficit continues to grow—and it's on track for another trillion-dollar hole in 2026—investors will likely keep piling into silver as an inflation hedge.
🔗 Read more: Edward Jones Diversity Incentive Program: What’s Actually Happening With Financial Advisor Diversity
The "Paper" vs. "Physical" Gap
One thing most people get wrong is thinking the price on the news is the price they can get. There is a massive decoupling happening between "paper silver" (contracts traded on COMEX) and "physical silver" (the stuff you can drop on your toe).
If a major bank decides to dump thousands of paper contracts, the spot price might dip to $85. But if you call a dealer in Texas or Florida, they might tell you they’re sold out or still charging $100. When the market gets this tight, the "spot price" becomes a bit of a theoretical suggestion rather than a hard rule for buyers.
What You Should Do Next
If you're looking at how much is silver an ounce today and wondering if it's too late to buy, you've gotta check your risk tolerance. This market is volatile. It's not uncommon for silver to drop 10% in a single day after a run like this.
💡 You might also like: BGR Energy Systems Ltd Share Price: What Really Happened to This Power Stock
- Check the Bid/Ask Spread: Before you buy, ask the dealer what they are buying silver back for. If the "ask" (your cost) is $105 and the "bid" (what they pay you) is $85, you're starting $20 in the hole.
- Avoid "FOMO" Buying: Don't throw your life savings in because of a headline. Historically, silver has "corrections" that can be brutal.
- Monitor the Fed: Watch for any talk of interest rate hikes. If the Fed pivots and starts raising rates to fight the 2026 inflation spike, silver will likely take a hit as the dollar strengthens.
- Track Global Inventories: Keep an eye on the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) vault reports. If those inventory numbers start rising, the price "squeeze" might be over.
The bottom line is that silver is finally acting like the high-beta version of gold it’s always been. It’s fast, it’s messy, and it’s currently sitting at record highs. Whether it hits $100 by March or falls back to $60 by summer depends entirely on whether the physical supply can keep up with a world that suddenly realizes it's running low.