An analyst has set an ambitious target for the price of silver, predicting it could triple from current levels to between $240 and $260 by May 2026. This forecast comes as a comparison between the precious metal and the cryptocurrency XRP highlights a potential shift in investor preference towards traditional safe-haven assets amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.
Analyst Rashad Hajiyev points to silver's previous explosive rally, where its price tripled from around $40 in September 2025 to a peak near $121 in January 2026, a move that took roughly 3.5 months. After a sharp correction to around $63, the metal has recovered to approximately $86. Hajiyev believes the next leg up could be even faster, contingent on a clean breakout from the current consolidation range between the mid-$70s and high-$80s.
This bullish outlook for silver is framed against a backdrop of global economic strain. Factors driving silver's appeal include persistent inflation, policy instability, escalating trade tensions, geopolitical volatility, and a fifth consecutive year of structural supply deficits—with a shortfall of about 117.7 million ounces in 2025. Industrial demand from solar, EVs, and technology remains firm.
In contrast, the analysis presents XRP at a different stage in its market cycle. After a massive rally from $0.60 in late 2024 to peaks near $3.60 in mid-2025, driven by regulatory optimism and the launch of spot ETFs following Ripple's $125 million settlement with the SEC, XRP has declined to around $1.30. The broader crypto market's defensive turn and tightening liquidity are cited as headwinds.
A scenario-based projection, attributed to ChatGPT, evaluated a hypothetical $5,000 investment. It concluded that, under current macro conditions favoring hedges, silver holds more potential. The model suggested that if silver triples to $260, the investment could grow to ~$15,000, whereas even a strong XRP recovery to its prior $3.60 peak would value a similar position at only ~$13,800.
