Silver is a 'turbo-charged version of gold' due to solar panels

Gold last traded at $1,842 an ounce. Silver at $27.07 an ounce.

NEWS SUMMARY: Precious metal prices rose Wednesday on a weaker dollar ahead of Fedspeak. U.S. stocks fell as investors digested tech weakness, corporate earnings and inflation data.

CNBC--"Silver as a key component in solar panels makes it a better investment than gold for investors who are interested in the metals market, Goldman Sachs' commodities chief Jeffrey Currie told CNBC on Thursday....

'I like to say that it's a turbo-charged version of gold,' said Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs, adding that silver could benefit from more green energy spending down the line.

Both gold and silver can offer protection for investors who are worried about currency debasement, Currie said. Those concerns have taken on greater saliency in the last year as the coronavirus pandemic prompted major injections of fiscal stimulus, as well as highly accommodative monetary policy from world central banks, including the Federal Reserve in the U.S.

'What silver has that gold doesn't have: It goes into solar panels,' Currie said. Silver is used in solar cells given its strength as a cost effective conductor of heat and electricity.

That's relevant because climate advocates have called on governments around the world to include green investments in their coronavirus pandemic-related spending efforts."