Impact-Site-Verification: 0eedbe8d-4e05-4893-8456-85377301e322

Commodity · Trading days

Silver ETF (SLV)

SLV tracks spot silver through a physically-backed ETF. Unlike gold, silver carries industrial demand, so SLV is more cyclical than GLD.

Last updated:

Gale Finance Team
Written by Gale Finance Team
Sid Kalla
Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder
Quick Answer

What is Silver ETF's risk, return, and volatility like?

Silver ETF returned +138.5% over the 1Y window. On the 5Y lens, Sharpe ratio is 0.67, annualized volatility is 35.5%, and max drawdown is -42.5%.

Total Return
1Y +138.5%
5Y +191.5%
Sharpe Ratio
1Y 1.76
5Y 0.67
Annualized Volatility
1Y 57.1%
5Y 35.5%
Max Drawdown
1Y -42.5%
5Y -42.5%

Trade SLV

Access this asset on trusted platforms.

Hyperliquid
Trade perpetual futures exposure where supportedSLVTrade on Hyperliquid
Binance
Trade futures exposure on a global exchange where supportedSLVTrade on Binance

Affiliate disclosure

Price history

Silver ETF price over the past 5Y

Track Silver ETF's standalone price path with macro and asset-specific events enabled by default.

Silver ETF price over the past 5Y

SLV
7 events in this period
Show events
Latest close $70.37 Data through 2026-04-22
5Y low $16.38 Window low
5Y high $105.60 Window high

Key takeaways

  • Total Return: SLV returned +138.5% over the 1Y window and +191.5% over the 5Y window ; annualized return over 5Y was +23.9%.
  • Risk-adjusted return: Sharpe was 0.67 and Sortino was 0.92 over 5Y. Sharpe counts total volatility; Sortino focuses on downside volatility.
  • Volatility & drawdown: Annualized volatility was 57.1% over 1Y and 35.5% over 5Y ; max drawdown was -42.5% over 1Y and -42.5% over 5Y .
  • Tail risk (Expected Shortfall): Over 5Y, daily VaR (5%) was -3.0% and Expected Shortfall was -5.2%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
  • Skew & kurtosis: Over 5Y, skew was -2.83 and excess kurtosis was 40.26. Skew shows return asymmetry; excess kurtosis shows how fat the tails were versus a Normal distribution.
  • Risk ratios: Sortino Ratio: 0.92 , Calmar Ratio: 0.56 , Sterling Ratio: 0.77 , Treynor Ratio: 0.47 , Ulcer Index: 17.39% .

Silver ETF Drawdown

SLV 1Y Max Drawdown
↓ -42.5%
2026-01-28 to 2026-03-26
SLV 5Y Max Drawdown
↓ -42.5%
2026-01-28 to 2026-03-26

Max drawdown shows the deepest peak-to-trough decline Silver ETF suffered in each research window. 1Y: -42.5%; 5Y: -42.5%.

Silver ETF is currently -33.4% below its prior peak, with the high-water mark at $105.60. 5Y low is $16.38.

SLV underwater plot (5Y). Zero means at a prior peak; dips show how far below peak the close was on each day. Deepest trough: -42.5% on Mar 26, 2026.
-42.5% 2021-04-23 2026-04-22 0% -42%

5Y drawdown episodes

#1
-42.5% Jan 28, 2026 to Mar 26, 2026
Not yet recovered 84 total days
#2
-37.5% May 17, 2021 to Sep 1, 2022
Recovered Apr 15, 2024 1064 total days
#3
-17.0% Oct 22, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024
Recovered Jun 5, 2025 226 total days

Silver ETF Volatility

SLV 1Y Volatility
57.1%
Annualized daily closes
SLV 5Y Volatility
35.5%
Annualized daily closes

Volatility Silver ETF's annualized volatility shows how widely daily closes moved over 1Y and 5Y. Higher values mean a noisier path, not automatically a better or worse investment. 1Y: 57.1%; 5Y: 35.5%.

Benchmark context

Where SLV fits relative to other lenses

Benchmark links are secondary on this page. Use them when you want to place the asset against a specific market, factor, or historical counterpart.

Default benchmark

S&P 500

SPY

Broad equity benchmark

1Y return
↑ +34.0%
SLV minus SPY
↑ +96.3%
Correlation
0.15
1Y
SLV vs SPY average correlation
Weakly linked
0.15
QQQ

Nasdaq 100

Corr 0.17

Growth and tech benchmark

1Y return +44.6%
SLV minus QQQ +85.6%
BTC

Bitcoin

Corr 0.15

Cross-asset crypto benchmark

1Y return -16.6%
SLV minus BTC +146.9%
XAU

Gold

Corr 0.76

Store-of-value benchmark

1Y return +44.2%
SLV minus XAU +86.1%

Risk-adjusted ratios

These ratios compare return against different definitions of risk: total volatility, downside volatility, drawdowns, benchmark beta, and time spent underwater.

Silver ETF Sharpe Ratio

SLV 1Y Sharpe ratio
↑ 1.76
Recent window
SLV 5Y Sharpe ratio
↑ 0.67
Deeper research window

SLV Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Return per total volatility

The dot sits at (Silver ETF's annualized volatility, its excess annualized return). The slope from the origin to the dot is the Sharpe ratio — steeper means the asset converted risk into return more efficiently.

Higher is better
Excess return Annualized volatility 0 50% vol 35.5% · excess +23.8%
excess annualized return / total volatility
Formula Sharpe=E[R]−RfσR\displaystyle \mathrm{Sharpe} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_R}

Sharpe ratio Silver ETF's Sharpe ratio measures excess return per unit of total volatility. Higher readings mean the asset converted risk into return more efficiently over the same window. 1Y: 1.76; 5Y: 0.67.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

Silver ETF Sortino Ratio

SLV 1Y Sortino ratio
↑ 2.31
Recent window
SLV 5Y Sortino ratio
↑ 0.92
Deeper research window

SLV Sortino Ratio (5Y)

Return per downside volatility

Silver ETF's daily-return distribution over the long window. Days left of the target line are the only ones Sortino penalizes in the denominator — so a distribution with a fat left tail produces a smaller Sortino even at the same mean return.

Higher is better
Frequency (days) Daily return (%) target -30.0% +10.7% 362 0
excess annualized return / downside volatility
Formula Sortino=E[R]−Rfσdown\displaystyle \mathrm{Sortino} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_{\mathrm{down}}}

Sortino ratio Silver ETF's Sortino ratio isolates downside volatility instead of all volatility. It is the cleaner lens when you care more about bad downside moves than upside noise. 1Y: 2.31; 5Y: 0.92.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

Silver ETF Calmar Ratio

SLV 1Y Calmar ratio
↑ 3.27
Recent window
SLV 5Y Calmar ratio
↑ 0.56
Deeper research window

SLV Calmar Ratio (5Y)

CAGR per worst drawdown

Silver ETF's CAGR bar sits above zero, the max drawdown bar sits below. Calmar is the ratio of those two magnitudes — a shallow drawdown bar with a tall CAGR bar produces a strong Calmar.

Higher is better
0% SLV 5Y +23.9% -42.5%
CAGR / max drawdown
Formula Calmar=CAGR∣MaxDD∣\displaystyle \mathrm{Calmar} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR}}{|\mathrm{MaxDD}|}

Calmar ratio Silver ETF's Calmar ratio measures return per unit of max drawdown. It is useful when the path of losses matters as much as the final return. 1Y: 3.27; 5Y: 0.56.

Calmar is computed on each asset's full 365-day lookback and uses the max drawdown over that same window.

Silver ETF Sterling Ratio

SLV 1Y Sterling ratio
↑ 4.79
Recent window
SLV 5Y Sterling ratio
↑ 0.77
Deeper research window

SLV Sterling Ratio (5Y)

Return per average drawdown

The underwater curve shows Silver ETF's drawdowns over the long window. Sterling averages every event deeper than the 10% threshold instead of taking only the worst one — so an asset with many mid-size drawdowns scores worse here than on Calmar.

Higher is better
0% -11% -22% -33% -45% 10% drawdown threshold
excess CAGR / average deep drawdown
Formula Sterling=CAGR−RfD‾>10%\displaystyle \mathrm{Sterling} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR} - R_f}{\overline{D}_{>10\%}}

Sterling ratio Silver ETF's Sterling ratio compares return against deep drawdown pressure. It gives a harsher read on assets that compound well but suffer ugly declines along the way. 1Y: 4.79; 5Y: 0.77.

Sterling uses average drawdown events deeper than 10% and subtracts the risk-free rate to report excess return.

Silver ETF Ulcer Index

SLV 1Y Ulcer Index
15.89
Recent window
SLV 5Y Ulcer Index
17.39
Deeper research window

SLV Ulcer Index (5Y)

Drawdown pain

The underwater curve shows how deep and how long Silver ETF's drawdowns were. Ulcer is the root-mean-square of that curve — both depth and persistence count, so lower is better.

Lower is better
0% -11% -22% -33% -45%
root-mean-square drawdown
Formula UI=E[Dt2]\displaystyle \mathrm{UI} = \sqrt{\mathbb{E}[D_t^2]}

Ulcer Index Silver ETF's Ulcer Index measures both the depth and persistence of drawdowns. Lower is better because it means fewer and shallower underwater periods. 1Y: 15.89; 5Y: 17.39.

Ulcer Index is computed from each asset's drawdown series over the full lookback window.

Silver ETF Treynor Ratio

SLV 1Y Treynor
↑ 1.03
Beta 0.97 vs SPY
SLV 5Y Treynor
↑ 0.47
Beta 0.51 vs SPY

SLV Treynor Ratio (5Y)

Excess return per beta vs SPY

The line's slope is Silver ETF's beta to SPY — steeper means more market-sensitive. Treynor divides excess return by that slope, so an asset can look efficient with a shallow beta and a small return, or inefficient with a steep beta and a big return.

Higher is better
Asset return Market return 0 0 β 0.51
excess return / market beta
Formula Treynor=E[R]−Rfβ\displaystyle \mathrm{Treynor} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\beta}

Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market beta versus SPY. A high Treynor means the asset compensated its market exposure well over this window. A low or negative Treynor means the asset's market risk wasn't rewarded.

Treynor uses beta vs the S&P 500 (SPY) on shared dates and the average 3-month Treasury rate as the risk-free rate.

Silver ETF Tail Risk

Tail-risk stats use daily return distributions rather than simple end-point returns. They show how ugly the left tail has been, how severe the worst 5% of days were, and whether returns were skewed toward outsized upside or downside shocks.

The histogram shows the shape of Silver ETF's daily log returns over the 5Y window. Bars left of the 5% VaR marker are the worst 5% of days; the ES marker is the average loss inside that tail. Skew and excess kurtosis describe whether the distribution is symmetric around zero and whether extreme days are more common than a Normal distribution predicts.

SLV daily return distribution (5Y)

SLV daily return distribution (5Y)

Log-return histogram with Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall markers at the 5% left tail.

Days
SLV 5Y VaR 5% ES 5% -38.1% 0% +38.1% Daily log return
worst-5% daily return and the average loss inside it
Formula VaR5%=Q0.05(R),ES5%=E[R∣R≤VaR5%]\displaystyle \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%} = Q_{0.05}(R),\quad \mathrm{ES}_{5\%} = \mathbb{E}[R \mid R \le \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}]
Metric 1Y5Y
VaR (5%) -4.5% Historical daily threshold -3.0% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%) -9.9% Beyond the VaR threshold -5.2% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew -3.38 -2.83
Excess kurtosis 26.34 40.26

Less negative daily VaR and Expected Shortfall values mean the left tail was less violent. Skew and excess kurtosis help distinguish between steady compounding and a path dominated by occasional extreme moves.

Full stats table

Every window-consistent research metric

Each column keeps the same horizon across returns, ratios, drawdowns, and tail-risk metrics.

Metric
1Y Recent window
5Y Deeper research window
Total return
+138.5%
+191.5%
Annualized return
+138.7%
+23.9%
Volatility
57.1% Annualized daily closes
35.5% Annualized daily closes
Sharpe ratio
1.76
0.67
Sortino ratio
2.31
0.92
Calmar ratio
3.27
0.56
Sterling ratio
4.79
0.77
Ulcer Index
15.89
17.39
Max drawdown
-42.5% 2026-01-28 to 2026-03-26
-42.5% 2026-01-28 to 2026-03-26
VaR (5%)
-4.5% Historical daily threshold
-3.0% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%)
-9.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
-5.2% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew
-3.38
-2.83
Excess kurtosis
26.34
40.26

What viewers usually ask next

What is Silver ETF's 5Y CAGR?

Silver ETF's 5y cagr is +23.9% on Gale using the past 5 years.

What is Silver ETF's 1-year volatility?

Annualized volatility is 57.1% over the past year.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year Sharpe ratio?

Silver ETF's Sharpe ratio is 0.67 using the past 5 years.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year Sortino ratio?

Silver ETF's Sortino ratio is 0.92 using the past 5 years.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year Calmar ratio?

Silver ETF's Calmar ratio is 0.56 using the past 5 years.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year Sterling ratio?

Silver ETF's Sterling ratio is 0.77 using the past 5 years.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year Ulcer Index?

Silver ETF's Ulcer Index is 17.39 using the past 5 years. Lower is better because it means shallower and less persistent drawdowns.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year max drawdown?

Max drawdown is -42.5% over the past 5 years from 2026-01-28 to 2026-03-26.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year daily Value at Risk?

Using historical daily returns, Gale estimates a 5% Value at Risk of -3.02% over the past 5 years.

What is Silver ETF's 5-year Expected Shortfall?

Expected Shortfall is -5.18% over the past 5 years, which captures the average outcome inside the worst 5% of daily returns.

Is Silver ETF still below its all-time high?

Current drawdown is -33.4% versus the all-time high of $105.60 reached on 2026-01-28.

Which benchmark should viewers open first for Silver ETF?

S&P 500 is the default benchmark lens on Gale because it gives the cleanest context for Silver ETF's recent behavior.