At the end of March, there were 4,915 exchange-traded products (ETPs), including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), listed on US exchanges. It’s a big universe, one that seemingly grows daily. That vast population also ensures that some ETFs are mirror images of competing funds.
A familiar example is the picture of market capitalization-weighted investments. S&P 500 ETFs. All the titans of this space do the same thing: track the S&P 500and only the brand and expense ratios differ.
Will AI create the world’s first billionaire? Our team just published a report on a little-known company called “Indispensable Monopoly” that provides critical technology that both Nvidia and Intel need.
Continue “
In this silver ETF rivalry, investors would be wise to choose the lowest-cost fund. Image source: Getty Images.
These similarities are also found in the Commodity ETFs sphere, particularly in the somewhat dense segment of gold ETFs, where a considerable number of funds give investors exposure to physical bullion. Again, the only differences are the issuers of the funds, the fees and, in the gold example, the storage of the yellow metal by the issuer.
Silver, often seen as gold’s “little brother”, is also part of this scenario. Just look at the iShares Silver Trust(NYSEMKT:SLV) and the abrdn Physical Silver Stock ETF(NYSEMKT:SIVR)both of which provide exposure to, you guessed it, physical silver. But which is better?
Making a Gold Decision with Silver ETFs
Enthusiasm for silver ETF It is palpable. Driven by growing demand for the product from renewables and data centers, silver prices have skyrocketed over the past year, helping these two ETFs that track silver double in value during that time. Adding to the power of the white metal is the fact that demand is outstripping supply because miners cannot obtain enough product to market quickly enough.
There’s actually some good news above, but it doesn’t solve the puzzle of how to choose between the iShares ETF and its rival Aberdeen (Aberdeen is the issuer and “abrdn” is a brand). Fortunately, investors, especially those who want to own silver for the long term, don’t have to struggle for an answer. When comparing two ETFs that do the same thing, the deciding factor often comes down to fees.
The data confirms that, in stocks, bonds and even gold ETFInvestors consistently and overwhelmingly lean toward cheaper funds. If you’re in that group, deciding between the two silver ETFs is easy. The iShares fund charges 0.5% per year, or $50 for a $10,000 investment, while its Aberdeen rival charges 0.3% per year. As the chart below indicates, those savings add up over time.
SIVR data from YCharts
There is more to this story. Aberdeen notes that since its silver ETF launched in July 2009, it has charged fees of 0.3%. This is because the issuer will give up 0.15% “and will continue to do so until further notice.” One way to look at it is that the issuer is directly trying to compete on fees and for long-term silver investors, and that’s a good thing.
So what happens?
Curious investors may wonder why, with the fee-subsidized yield gap, the Aberdeen silver ETF is smaller than its rival iShares by about $31.1 billion. Superficial metrics explain part of that gap.
For example, the iShares ETF is over three years old and, well, it’s an iShares ETF. In the world of ETFs,It’s hard to match black rock‘s ETF business as it relates to brand recognition. Of course, there are more nuances.
The iShares fund is the default silver ETF for professional market participants. As of April 22, its 30-day average volume was 32.22 million shares. That implies ample liquidity, meaning professionals can enter and exit this silver ETF with tight spreads and little slippage. These are also important considerations for options traders looking for exposure to silver through ETFs.
For investors who believe the silver bull run is just beginning and want to commit to the commodity for the long term, there is no need to copy the professionals. Take the Aberdeen ETF for example, its lowest fee, and potentially enjoy a long-term performance advantage over the competing product.
Should you buy shares of Abrdn Silver ETF Trust – Abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF right now?
Before purchasing shares of Abrdn Silver ETF Trust – Abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF, consider the following:
He Varied and Dumb Stock Advisor The analyst team has just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Abrdn Silver ETF Trust – Abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF was not one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you would have $498,522!* Or when NVIDIA made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you would have $1,276,807!*
Now, it is worth noting stock advisor The total average return is 983.%: An overwhelming outperformance of the market compared to the S&P 500’s 200%. Don’t miss the latest Top 10 list, available with Stock Advisorand join an investing community created by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 actions »
*Stock Advisor returns from April 27, 2026.
Todd Shriber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool holds positions on and recommends BlackRock. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
SLV vs. SIVR: Same Silver. One costs you more. This is the silver ETF that is the smartest buy for the long term. was originally published by The Motley Fool
