A key name

If we’re talking silver, it’s hard not to refer to Fresnillo (LSE:FRES). It’s the largest primary silver producer listed in London and part of the FTSE 100.

The stock is up a whopping 290% in the last year, driven in a large part by the jump in both silver and gold prices. Their output is heavily skewed towards silver, so any increase in the silver price tends to flow through strongly to revenues and margins. Given that the fixed costs of production can be covered at a much lower base metal cost, any bump in silver above that helps to count towards higher profit.

Of course, variable costs (energy, labour, transport) can move against Fresnillo. If input costs rise sharply, the margin benefit of rising silver can be partially offset. This is a risk going forward, but given the sheer scale of the move higher in silver prices, I don’t see it being a large problem.

Looking ahead, the benefit of the move in silver (which is still going) will likely only be fully realised in the Q4 results or even well into next year. Therefore, when investors see how this price move translates into profits, the stock could move even higher still.

A passive tracker option

Some investors might consider iShares Physical Silver ETC (LSE:SSLN). This is an exchange-traded commodity (ETC) product issued by iShares, which gives investors direct exposure to the price of silver, without them having to buy or store physical silver themselves.

Over the past year, the stock is up 59%. Each unit in it represents a specific quantity of silver. The silver is stored in allocated form in London bank vaults, under custody agreements. Therefore, the price of the stock closely tracks the underlying price of silver, minus a small management fee.

Some find this appealing as there are no company-specific factors that could distort the price. With Fresnillo, even though silver has done well, the stock could drop from mining accidents or other risks. With iShares Physical Silver, it doesn’t have these concerns. However, it does come with other points to remember. For example, there’s no yield, and no dividend is paid. It also just tracks the silver price, so it doesn’t provide exposure to gold or other metals.

On balance, I think both listed stocks offer different ways of getting exposure to silver. I think both could continue to do well if the metal’s prices keep rallying, so are worthy of consideration.

The post As silver surges, here are 2 FTSE stocks that could benefit appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.

Rapid growth in the ETF market means investors have plenty of ways they can capitalise on surging precious metal values. Here are three to consider today.

Keeping it simple

The simplest way to ride the gold price is with a straightforward tracker like WisdomTree Physical Gold (LSE:PHAU). The fund holds physical metal in vaults on investors’ behalf, saving them the trouble of delivery and storage.

Interest in these sorts of ETFs is at all-time highs. According to the World Gold Council (WGC), holdings in these funds increased by 146 tonnes in September. This was up from 53 tonnes the previous month and represented a monthly record.

Naturally, owners of these products need to pay for the benefits they provide. This can take an unwelcome bite out of returns (WisdomTree’s annual ongoing charge sits at 0.39%).

Yet they can still be more cost effective than buying and holding physical metal, while opening and closing positions is also less complicated.

An alternative ETF

Gold might be attracting the headlines, but silver’s ascent in 2025 has been even sharper. The grey metal’s up 69% in value, outstripping its more expensive cousin’s 54% increase.

Silver’s being pulled higher by the same macroeconomic and geopolitical fears that are driving gold. As well as having major industrial applications, silver is also a popular safe-haven commodity. There’s a strong chance it could continue rising in gold’s slipstream.

The iShares Physical Silver ETF (LSE:SSLN) is one top fund to consider. It tracks movements in the silver price, and is backed by physical metal. Its ongoing yearly charge is 0.2%.

This ETF has provided superior returns to gold-backed funds since 1 January. But be aware that silver’s industrial applications mean the fund could underperform if key economic indicators worsen.

Holding gold stocks

The final type of ETF I feel demands attention is one that holds shares in precious metal stocks. VanEck Gold Miners (LSE:GDGB) is a fund that’s soared 120% in value in 2025, reflecting the ‘leverage’ effect that has seen it outperform the gold price.

Put simply, producer profits can grow more sharply than revenues during bull markets. Due to their fixed costs, each extra dollar they make from higher prices drops straight into the bottom line. As a result, share prices across the gold mining industry have rocketed this year.

This VanEck fund holds shares in 46 different companies including industry giants Agnico Eagle Mines, Newmont, and Barrick Mining. Tracking the performance of gold stocks instead of gold itself exposes investors to the risks associated to mining, like disappointing payloads and rocketing prices.

However, VanEck’s broad portfolio helps to reduce this danger. The ongoing annual charge here is 0.53%.

The post As gold prices hit $4,000, here are 3 hot ETFs to consider appeared first on The Twelfth Magpie.