Current 3 yr. chart for silver is showing that it could possibly go back to $26 range, it has strong support there at the $26.10-$26.15 price. It could very well drop to that point before turning back up. Of course, it could take off tomorrow too. Silver's been trending downward for the last several months, it's about time for it to reverse. If it hit $25, I'd bet it to take off like a rocket.
Been some very strong rumors and speculation that the silver market has been manipulated for many years by some very big players, as in major banking institutions. There's a LOT of analysts that are watching the silver markets like hawks, trying to figure out who's doing it and why. There are several major suspects, and they're doing it because they're making huge money at it, although it's illegal as hell.
It's a well-known and proven fact that the short positions in silver that are keeping the price down are far, far larger than the entire worldwide annual production could supply. This is the only commodity that has ever been in this situation where the demand constantly far outstrips the supply, yet the price doesn't rise to the levels that it should, according to the laws of supply and demand. This means that it's being manipulated to artificially keep the price down. Why? Because the owners of these massive short positions would be obliterated if the price took off like it should. And the Commodities Futures Commission is fully aware of this, yet they turn a blind eye to it because it truly is a bomb waiting to go off.
I only wish I owned more than what I have, I'd be happy just having back what I had to sell over the years. But for anyone interested in a silver mining company, do some research on Silver Wheaton (SLW). They're in a very unique position, much too complex to talk about here, but I've made a LOT of money trading their stock and every analysis you read about them is incredibly positive. Basically, they're not a mining company, but they contract with non-silver mining companies to buy their unwanted silver production at a very low price and for many, many years into the future. They pay these companies cash now for future silver production, based on past production and future projections, and pay like 10 cents on the dollar for it. They also do this with gold.
Do some research on SLW. Right now it's in a dip, and a perfect time to buy it. Owning physical silver is a wonderful profit opportunity, but SLW could be even bigger.