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India’s Diwali Silver Buying Drains Supply as Fund Houses Pause New Inflows and London Liquidity Thins

Premiums jumped after inventories ran out across India, signaling severe tightness.

Overview

  • With MMTC-PAMP out of stock for the first time, Kotak, UTI and SBI halted new lump-sum or switch-in subscriptions to silver funds because local metal is scarce and costly.
  • London vault liquidity thinned sharply, with borrowing rates reported as high as 200% annualized and at least one Swiss refiner limiting non-contracted intake.
  • Spot silver briefly topped $54 an ounce before a 6–7% drop, while Indian premiums rose to more than $5 an ounce as dealers reported bidding wars.
  • JPMorgan told at least one client that October allocations for India were exhausted, with next availability expected in November, according to Bloomberg.
  • The squeeze reflects a festival buying surge amplified by finfluencer promotion alongside ETF inflows, US-bound shipments, a China holiday supply pause and a solar-driven structural shortfall.