Written by Myra Saefong via Barrons

Silver bullion prices are expected to jump as solar and smartphone demand rises and the Fed tries to stave off economic weakness.

Gold prices have far outpaced gains in silver so far this year, but silver will emerge as the winner for the second year in a row.

With a per-ounce price of $17.41 for silver futures as of Friday, analysts say the white metal is poised for a big climb, particularly as the gold-to-silver ratio stands well above historical averages. “Silver is definitely undervalued compared to gold and as a stand-alone investment. I consider it likely to be the most undervalued asset in the general investment markets,” says Paul Mladjenovic, author of Precious Metals Investing For Dummies.

The best barometer of its potential gains comes from its value relative to gold. The long-term average gold-to-silver ratio runs around 15 to 1, while the modern average going back a century is roughly 40 to 1, says Mark O’Byrne, research director at precious-metals storage provider GoldCore. The ratio, which reflects how many ounces of silver bullion it takes to equal the value of one ounce of gold, stood at a whopping 75 to 1 on Friday.

That steep ratio suggests “it’s a good time to buy silver bullion,” says O’Byrne. He explains that the “huge amount of silver used up in industrial applications” suggests the ratio should fall over the long term: “It’s likely that the gold/silver ratio will gradually return to below the 100-year average of 40 to 1.” At the current gold price, that would put silver at nearly $32 an ounce, O’Byrne says.

So far this year, however, prices of gold futures have risen nearly 12%, while silver has gained roughly 6%. Last year, silver’s climb of about 16% outpaced gold’s rise of almost 9%.

“Silver isn’t keeping pace with gold because the market perception is that gold is a safer play, while the market perceives silver’s role as exposed to economic weakness. But as inflation heats up, more of the public will realize silver’s second role as a store of value and inflation hedge,” says Mladjenovic.