Silver price on Apr 17, 2026 at 5pm EDT?

Major commodity banks forecast positive US 10-year real yields for 2025-2026. Current forecasts from prominent financial institutions project the US 10-year real yield to remain positive throughout 2025 and 2026, with estimates ranging from approximately 1.00% to 1.80%. None of the available forecasts from Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, or Citi indicate a sustained period below -1.5%, which is a key historical driver for precious metal bull markets.

Goldman Sachs and Citi provide specific positive real yield projections. Goldman Sachs specifically projects the US 10-year nominal Treasury yield at 3.85% at year-end 2025 and 4.00% at year-end 2026. Considering CPI inflation forecasts of 2.3% and 2.2% for the respective periods, this implies a US 10-year real yield of approximately 1.55% at year-end 2025 and 1.80% at year-end 2026 ^[1]. Citi's 2025 Wealth Outlook projects the US 10-year Treasury nominal yield between 3.50% and 4.00%, with US inflation between 2.5% and 3.0%, implying a real yield in the range of 0.5% to 1.5% over a 12-18 month horizon ^[3].

JPMorgan's assumptions also indicate positive real yields over time. JPMorgan's Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions (LTCMA) for 2026 estimate the US Real 10-Year Bond Yield to average 1.00% over the next 10 years ^[2]. While JPMorgan economists also expect the 10-year nominal Treasury yield to end 2026 at 4.25% ^[4], specific year-end real yields for 2025 or 2026 are not explicitly detailed in the provided sources, though they generally expect US real rates to rise further from current levels ^[5]. The collective forecasts from these major financial institutions for the US 10-year real yield for both 2025 and 2026 remain positive and consistently above the -1.5% threshold. These projections therefore do not suggest a sustained period below -1.5%, which is historically recognized as a significant driver for precious metal bull markets.

Next-generation solar technologies will not create a substantial silver supply deficit. Updated technology roadmaps confirm that projected silver consumption per cell for next-generation TOPCon and HJT solar technologies is unlikely to cause an industrial demand forecast exceeding a 250 million ounce supply deficit for 2025. Research from Fraunhofer ISE indicates that silver consumption in TOPCon solar cells can be reduced by a factor of ten through the implementation of new contact firing processes ^[2]. Major manufacturers are incorporating new technologies and processes that are expected to lead to a significant drop in silver usage per cell ^[4]. These advancements, particularly in n-type cell technologies, contribute to a reduction in overall silver demand from the photovoltaic (PV) industry ^[3].

The Silver Institute projects a deficit below the critical threshold. The Silver Institute's official forecast for 2025 anticipates a global silver market deficit of 215 million ounces ^[1], a figure derived from their World Silver Survey 2025 ^[5]. The institute explicitly notes that while industrial demand from the photovoltaic sector continues to grow, "advancements in silver-saving technologies are mitigating the increase in overall consumption per cell" ^[1]. Consequently, The Silver Institute anticipates industrial silver demand to drop by 19% in 2025, largely due to these reduced usage rates in PV cells ^[3]. Therefore, the anticipated deficit of 215 million ounces for 2025 falls below the 250 million ounce threshold.

Specific data is unavailable to calculate the silver inventory to open interest ratio ^[1]. The provided research lacks the specific facts, data points, and statistics required to determine the ratio of deliverable 'Registered' silver inventories in COMEX-approved warehouses to the total open interest of active silver futures contracts ^[2]. To calculate the current ratio, specific figures for both the 'Registered' silver inventories and the total open interest would be necessary, but these data points are not present in the research provided ^[3]. Projections and historical analysis are impossible without the required data ^[4]. The absence of these critical figures makes it impossible to project the ratio's potential movement below the 25% threshold in 2025 ^[5]. Furthermore, the research cannot confirm the historical context of the 25% threshold preceding major short squeezes without the necessary statistical information ^[6].

Mexico's proposed open-pit mining ban poses significant supply risk. A significant legislative change is underway in Mexico, with a proposal to ban open-pit mining advancing in the Mexican Congress ^[1]. This proposal, which progressed in February 2024, has caused concern within the Mexican mining sector ^[4]. While the exact impact on silver production in ounces is not yet specified in available sources, a nationwide ban on open-pit mining in one of the world's top silver-producing countries could have a substantial effect on global supply ^[3]. The mining sector is currently challenging the proposal, highlighting ongoing uncertainty ^[5].

China plans export restrictions; Peru has no major impending changes. China, another major global silver producer, is anticipated to introduce restrictions on silver exports by the end of 2025, with these controls expected to be implemented in 2026 ^[2]. These impending restrictions are described as mirroring China's strategy for rare earths, suggesting a significant tightening of the export market ^[6]. Although Chinese silver exports reached a 16-year high in 2025 despite control fears, the planned controls for 2026 are expected to alter this trend and could have a considerable impact on global silver availability ^[7]. In contrast, the available research does not detail any specific pending legislative or regulatory changes in Peru before 2026 that would impose new export tariffs, environmental restrictions, or nationalization policies with the potential to reduce global annual supply by over 50 million ounces.

The implied probability of the Federal Reserve cutting the Fed Funds Rate by at least 150 basis points before the end of Q1 2026 is assessed as very low. This conclusion is drawn from an analysis of Fed Funds futures market data, the Eurodollar futures curve, and various prediction market data. Prediction market analysis indicates a near certainty against an aggressive Federal Reserve rate cut occurring in April 2026 ^[2], which strongly suggests a similarly low or negligible probability for such a substantial rate reduction occurring prior to or during Q1 2026, as Q1 2026 concludes at the end of March 2026.

Specific futures contracts do not directly quantify cumulative rate cut probability by Q1 2026. While other futures contracts like the 30-Day Federal Funds futures for March '26 (ZQH26) and June '26 (ZQM26) are available for market expectations, they do not directly provide a cumulative probability for a 150+ basis point reduction by the end of Q1 2026 ^[4].

No implied probability for QE re-launch can be determined from the available information. The provided web research and available sources do not explicitly quantify an implied probability for the official re-launch of a Quantitative Easing (QE) program before the end of Q1 2026. Resources consulted, including Fed Rate Odds ^[1], CME Group futures quotes ^[3], Barchart data ^[4], Federal Reserve H.15 releases ^[5], TradingView charts ^[6], and FOMC minutes ^[7], do not offer this specific probability. It is important to note that discussions surrounding the Federal Reserve ending Quantitative Tightening (QT) ^[8] are distinct from the initiation of a new QE program.