FSF said:
Also, I wouldn't be all that surprised if gold were to get to a 100 to 1 ratio and stay there if a fundamental long term preference of stackers takes hold as a permanent preference. Silver is arguable not even a "precious metal" in the eyes of most people. An ounce is usually good for a decent cheaper lunch and that's about it. On a longer term basis, probably beyond our lifetimes, I wouldn't be surprised if the GSR came down to 10 or 20 or even 5 to 1 because gold somehow loses any sense of real value in the mind of the public considering it has zero functional purpose. I say that with the caveat that it is a wonderful metal with a wide array of actual purpose except there isn't anywhere near enough of it to use as a functional anything.
I wouldn't be surprised if angels cover the sky when heaven felt from it.
Central banks seriously decreased their gold purchases this year, 3quarters data sum only 270 tonnes, while previous years were like double a 25% extrapolated year total.
year / tonnes (multiple values = later updates, for ex 2013 ended 2 years later up 625 instead of 387)
(positive = sold, negative = purchased)
2005 663
2006 365
2007 484
2008 235
2009 34
>>> 5592 tonnes gold sold over the period 1997-2009
2010 -77
2011 -455
2012 -544.1
2013 -386.6(2014Q1) > -409.3(2014Q2) > -625.5 (2015Q1)
2014 -477.2(2014Q4) > -588.0(2015Q1) > -590.5 (2015Q2) > -583.9 (2015Q4)
2015 -588.4 (2015Q4) > -566.3 (2016Q1)
2016Q1-3 -271.11
http://www.gold.org/download/file/5283/GDT_Q3_16_Tables.xls
In a year to year Q1-3 comparison total bar and coin demand dropped 36% and central bank demand 51%. ETFs started 2016 big time and for a change in recent years, bought instead of sold. Nevertheless, since 2011 they sold half of what they accumulated since they came into existence (2003).
So your "stackers permanent preference" appears to me like angels in the sky ...
And oh well, buying cheaper lunches, that's what I do every day all year hence I opted for silver small change, albeit at a too big price tag.
Considering silvers current hedge, things don't look that different from mid last year so probably again a $14-15 bottom. A (temporary because sold out = sold out and they didn't buy more since years) game changer would be ETF's selling like they gold equivalents did in 2013 or so.