Retail traders aren't giving up on 'SLV' even after silver's plunge
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Retail traders stuck by their favored silver play, even after an enormous reversal for the precious metal. Mom-and-pop investors aggressively bought the dip in the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) on Friday, according to Ashwin Bhakre, analyst at market research firm VandaTrack. That confirmed a broader trend of individual traders piling into the silver-focused fund, highlighted by a record-setting day of net inflows earlier last week. But individuals' decision to buy on Friday stood in stark contrast to silver's performance. Silver futures recorded their worst day since 1980 on Friday, plunging more than 31%. The iShares Trust fell more than 28%, its biggest ever one-day slide. Friday's silver crash marked a correction in an increasingly speculative trade, fueled in part to a high level of retail interest. Bhakre last week called the metal a favorite "toy" among small-scale investors. The Silver Trust extended losses on Monday, falling 4% by the close. Despite the pullback, the fund is still up 17% in 2026 and more than 160% over the past 12 months. according to FactSet data. SLV 1Y mountain The iShares Silver Trust, 1-year On the other hand, Bhakre told CNBC that the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) — another hot pick for everyday investors — was sold by this group on Friday. The fund fell more than 10% in the session, while the metal slid about 9%. The Gold Shares fund fell 4% Monday as gold continued sliding. — CNBC's Pippa Stevens contributed to this report.