The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) experienced a significant pre-market surge of 5.02% on Tuesday. The move tracked a sharp rally in the underlying silver price during the Asian trading session.
The primary catalyst for the surge was news that Iran confirmed receiving a 10-day ceasefire proposal from mediators, rekindling hopes for diplomatic de-escalation between the US and Iran. This development marginally eased the geopolitical risk premium that had been supporting oil prices, which in turn reduced immediate fears of unanchored inflation and further interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. This shift in the macro narrative triggered a wave of short covering in the silver market.
Concurrently, the broader precious metals complex saw a rally, with spot silver climbing over 3% intraday. Market expectations that the Fed will hold interest rates steady at its upcoming meeting provided additional support, allowing non-yielding assets like silver to rebound as the pressure from rising opportunity costs temporarily abated.