iShares Silver Trust (NYSE:SLV) Maintains Silver Levels

With demand for silver growing and silver prices up by about 60 percent so far, iShares Silver Trust (NYSE:SLV) has been a targeted stock, and has increased its holdings of silver to back them for some time.

As of Friday though, they have kept their silver holdings level at $10,941.34 metric tons, according to their website.

On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday silver futures had dropped to $28.73 an ounce for March delivery as a general commodity correction continues.

Interestingly, a recent report from Sprott showed that if those holding silver long were to decide to take physical delivery of the metal, there wouldn't be enough silver to supply the demand.

Available silver out of the ground comes to about 684 million ounces.

There have been little rumblings of concern over silver because of the demand and relatively easy ability for someone attempting to make a run on the market to be successful.

This concern comes from the days when the Hunt brothers almost did it when silver eventually reached over $50 an ounce. Today it probably could be done, as the Hunts weren't able to hold together those they were working with to make it happen.

As for iShares Silver Trust, they closed Friday at $27.98, down $0.05, or 0.18 percent. Volume was over 30.6 million.

So far this year iShares Silver Trust has generated a return of 28.85 percent.