Market regulator Sebi has allowed mutual fund houses to introduce silver exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the Indian market. Currently, Indian mutual funds are allowed to launch ETFs tracking on gold. However, there are no silver ETFs available.

Live TV

Loading...

While the financial experts are calling the amendment a welcome change, a lot of investors could be facing dilemmas on whether silver ETFs are worth it?

Arshad Fahoum, Chief Product Officer — Market Pulse Technologies said this is advantageous since investors looking to gain exposure to silver prices can now do away with the drawbacks of buying physical silver; such as holding costs and theft risk.

Silver ETFs, he said, would make investing in silver as simple as buying or selling stocks and hence, would bring along increased liquidity.

ALSO READ | Sebi rolls out 'swing pricing mechanism' for open-ended debt funds; here's what it means for investors?

Explaining this further, Anurag Jhanwar, Co-founder and Partner at Fintrust Advisors said that ETFs with their low-cost structure and their ability to sell like a stock provides the benefits of price efficiency and convenience to retail investors.

“And with the introduction of silver ETFs, investors can now take exposure to the metal through the ETF route, just like they do for gold,” he said in an interaction with CNBCTV18.

While both gold and silver have been part of individual investments, the introduction of Silver ETFs will lead to more acceptance of the asset class, provided liquidity challenges are taken care of, he added.

Speaking about risk-averse commodity investors, Fahoum said that silver ETFs could be considered as a sound decision by them since silver derivatives would be too risky, given their investor profile.

"Additionally, silver has a range of industrial uses, which makes it a fairly stable storehouse of wealth on the long-term horizon, which in turn makes it a strong hedge against stocks/bonds,” he added.

Speaking about rebalancing portfolio, Fahoum said that investing a small part in a silver ETF is a prudent approach during times of heightened volatility, especially when equity markets are at all-time highs

Notwithstanding the portfolio diversification benefits it brings, however, one should be judicious with their assets allocation and evaluate the metal-based on its investment merit as silver prices like any other commodity can be volatile, cautioned Jhanwar.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on CNBCTV18.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. CNBCTV18.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

First Published:Oct 1, 2021 8:01 PM IST