iShares Silver Trust vs Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? iShares Silver Trust trades at $54.91 (market cap $29.02B), while Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $49.35 (market cap $7.73B). The key difference: iShares Silver Trust is far larger — about 3.8× Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund's market cap, and Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund is trading nearer its 52-week high, iShares Silver Trust nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold iShares Silver Trust for 89 Days and Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund for 70 Days on average.
| SLV | XLB | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $29.02B | $7.73B |
Volume | 16,510,334 | 13,681,146 |
52-Week High | $105.57 | $53.67 |
52-Week Low | $42.40 | $42.23 |
Typical Hold Time | 89 Days | 70 Days |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
SLV trades at $55.06, up 2.3% over 24 hours, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company reported $2.17M net income for 2024 despite zero revenue, with total assets surging to $13.41B from $10M in 2023. Recent news highlights silver price volatility driven by Fed policy expectations and Treasury yields.
The outlook is clouded by bearish technicals and macroeconomic pressures on silver, though low debt and asset growth offer stability. Risks include interest rate sensitivity and industrial demand fluctuations, while institutional sentiment remains cautious amid price declines.
XLB, the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF, trades at $48.98, down 1.51% on the day, with a bearish technical signal driven by moving averages and key indicators like ADX signaling strong selling pressure. The ETF's portfolio is heavily concentrated in chemicals (49% of assets), and recent news highlights sector volatility amid broader market challenges outside of tech. A dividend of $0.23 is scheduled for September 2026, but financial ratios are currently unavailable.
The outlook for XLB is cautious due to technical weakness and sector cyclicality, though long-term infrastructure and AI-related demand offer potential upside. Risks include economic sensitivity and high concentration, while investor sentiment remains mixed with some analysts seeing value in materials as an AI-resistant play.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
The ETF seeks to reflect such performance before payment of the ETF's expenses and liabilities. It is not actively managed. The ETF does not engage in any activities designed to obtain a profit from, or to ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the price of silver.
Read more on SLV →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes securities of companies from the following industries: chemicals; metals and mining; paper and forest products; containers and packaging; and construction materials. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on XLB →