Shanghai Silver Jumps 8%. Silver Price Target $250 by July 2026

Silver Academy ^ | 26 Dec 25 | Silver Academy

[delta7]

China’s relentless silver buying at record prices, a record SHFE spread, and 2026 export controls confirm silver has become the decisive industrial, economic, tech, and military weapon

Physical silver buying in China is continuing at full speed even as silver marks fresh all‑time highs, and that persistence is the tell. What is unfolding is not a normal commodity cycle; it is a quiet arms race for the metal that powers the modern world.​

Silver buying doesn’t care about price.

China’s silver demand has only intensified as prices have exploded, with Shanghai spot and near‑dated SHFE futures trading at persistent premiums to London and New York. That premium is arbitrage’s way of screaming that real metal in China is worth more than Western paper promises.​

Silver is a critical input for solar, electronics, EVs, data centers, AI hardware, medical devices, drones, and precision weapons, and Chinese manufacturers cannot simply “opt out” when prices rise. For tens of thousands of factories, silver is a tiny share of the finished product’s cost, so they buy regardless and pass the higher input cost on to the end user.​

Spot–SHFE spread snaps

In recent months, China’s basis and futures curve have repeatedly blown out, with SHFE silver trading at record levels and a rich premium over LBMA prices. Rising open interest and backwardation on the SHFE curve show this is not a one‑off squeeze, but a crowd of domestic players leaning hard into physical‑anchored prices.​

That widening gap between Western spot and Chinese prices is the market’s split screen: paper markets marking time in New York while Shanghai bids up metal needed for factories, power grids, and weapons systems. When spreads get this extreme, silver naturally flows toward the highest, most reliable buyer—and right now, that is China.​

January 1, 2026: export door slams

Beijing has now formalized its strategy: from January 1, 2026, silver exports fall under strict state‑trading controls and licensing through at least 2027. Exporters will need Ministry of Commerce approval, and only large, state‑sanctioned producers meeting high output thresholds will even qualify, effectively ring‑fencing more domestic mine supply for internal use and stockpiling.​​

This is not a random regulatory tweak; it mirrors China’s earlier playbook in rare earths, tungsten, and other strategic materials—tighten exports, secure domestic supply, and turn a raw material into geopolitical leverage. Once these curbs begin, the West will no longer be able to count on emergency silver shipments from China to bail out London or COMEX during a squeeze.​

Silver as a 21st‑century weapon

Whoever controls the most silver will not just dominate jewelry or coins; they will anchor four pillars of power:

Industrial power – Silver is indispensable for high‑efficiency solar cells, advanced semiconductors, sensors, and precision manufacturing.​ Economic power – By controlling export flows and stockpiles, China can tighten or relax silver supply to influence inflation, production costs, and trade balances in rival economies.​ Technology power plus Robotics– From AI data centers and 5G infrastructure to EVs and next‑gen batteries, silver is baked into the hardware of the digital and green revolutions.​​ Military power – Guidance systems, radar, secure communications, drones, missiles, torpedoes, and space assets all depend on silver‑rich electronics and specialized components.​ Silver is no longer just “poor man’s gold.” It is an arms‑race metal, and China’s decision to hoard, premium‑price, and restrict exports into 2026 is a declaration that the race is officially on. It is predicted that USA will not just roll over but try and win this war.

As BRICS vs NATO intensify the winner will be SILVER.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: silver

[delta7]

As forecasted, the world's Wealth is moving from the West to the East. The corrupted western Comex and LBMA no longer control pricing, China does.

Not a bad thing, their SGE doe not allow hideous paper contracts, purely physical.

[delta7]

For the doubting Thomas’s, one check on the Chinese internal Silver trading prices show $80 plus Silver bids.

“Chinese SHFE Silver at $80.COMEX at $71.87. Spread: $8.13 - Never seen in history.”

https://substack.com/home/post/p-182592773

Hi Ho Silver! President Trump had also better get busy on his promised Gold reserves audit....

[Presbyterian Reporter]

March 2026 Silver Futures are now 75.485 +3.80 (+5.30%)

Normally, the Thanksgiving to New Years trading volumes are dull. Not the case this year.

[Carry_Okie]

What China appears to be trying to do recalls the Hunt Brothers back in the 1970s.

[Ge0ffrey]

The silver academy promotes silver, obviously.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

“””What China appears to be trying to do recalls the Hunt Brothers back in the 1970s.”””

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Only difference is that China supposedly has a use for the silver it is accumulating.

Whereas, the Hunt Brothers saw an opportunity to corner the market, but what were they going to do with that silver hoard?

[butlerweave]

Is China still planning to send tons of Silver to space so it can burn up or are they planning on putting Weapons in space ?

[Macoozie]

Short term trouble
Silver is not Gold.

The action is in the Industrial use, not store of value.
What happens when industrial materials get expensive? Substitution and replacement, and tech steps up.

“But only silver can do that!”
Tell that to the world’s best Buggy Whip maker as you watch the Model T roll by.

[Leaning Right]

Out of curiosity I looked it up. Here are the world’s top silver producers as of 2024.

1. Mexico
2. China
3. Peru

The United States is at #8.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/silver-production-by-country

And now a concern. The Silver Academy has a link where you can buy silver. So their neutrality on this issue is certainly questionable.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

As silver soars in the past 5 months, little has been reported about what the silver miners are doing.

Are the miners increasing their inventory?

Or are they busy selling?

[Carry_Okie]

Only difference is that China supposedly has a use for the silver it is accumulating.

Potential uses. It's still a hoard until it is put into products. The potential to get burned remains, especially against new mine discoveries, particularly in the Arctic.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

If you would like to be on the Gold & Silver PING LIST, please pm me.

The Gold & Silver Ping List covers the following:

Everything Gold & Silver
Stock market investments in mining companies,
etc.

PING!

[Brian Griffin]

Material ρ (Ω•m) at 20 °C Resistivity

Silver 1.59×10−8
Copper 1.68×10−8
Aluminum 2.82×10−8

https://www.thoughtco.com/table-of-electrical-resistivity-conductivity-608499

[Leaning Right]

I’m not an expert on silver mining. But I suppose there must be many silver mines that are closed because it is not profitable to work them.

Wouldn’t the rising price of silver cause these mines to re-open? Then more silver enters the market. Then the old Supply and Demand thing takes over.

[Brian Griffin]

Silver is also used in the solder that I have.

[Vermont Lt]

People have been waiting years for this stuff to happen. I never thought I would see a day when silver moved $4 in a day.

I am glad I stacked.

[Zhang Fei]

China is prepping for its moment in the sun - a large scale attack reminiscent of Japan’s WW2 efforts. It expects a US blockade and a seizure of its worldwide assets, as has occurred in other wars. Any commodities it takes into its possession can’t be seized, so it is converting its foreign-held reserves into these assets. It’s not just a store of value but also a strategic reserve to minimize the need to pay a smugglers premium for imported commodities once the war has begun.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

—> So their neutrality on this issue is certainly questionable

I’ve reached the point where I don’t believe in the neutrality of any news source.

They all require critical thinking now.

[Obadiah]

At that price I wonder if Poland opens up their vast, proven reserves? Sure, it would be quite a few years away from actual production, but at ~$250 an ounce, definitely worth it.

[Leaning Right]

> I’ve reached the point where I don’t believe in the neutrality of any news source. <

We see a lot of this on so-called “review sites”. The internet site will tell you, for example, how great Dell computers are. They’re rated 4.8 stars out of 5. Wow!

Then there’s a link to where you can buy a Dell computer.

It’s actually a tell. If there’s a link to buy, it’s not a legitimate review site. It’s a paid advertising site that should be ignored.