The mint ratio, which shows how many ounces of silver it takes to buy an ounce of gold, is close to its lowest levels since 1998, currently about 45. Why?

With gold near a record high the simple explanation is that silver has been performing even better of late, driven by increased demand rather than any supply contraction.

Silver tends to hang on to gold’s coat tails when gold is stronger, during periods of inflation or political turmoil, perhaps. But gold’s recent gains have come at a time of improving economic fundamentals, so silver, which has a tight industrial demand correlation, has enjoyed extra impetus.

Another boost has come from retail investors who would rather spend their $200 on roughly five 1-ounce American Eagle silver coins, than one 10th-of-an-ounce gold coin. Doubtless the “penny-share syndrome” also applies a bit here too – when smaller priced assets are perceived as providing better opportunity for gains.

This is possibly why the US mint sold a record 6.4m Eagle silver coins in January, a 78 per cent increase on the previous year, when silver was more than 40 per cent cheaper. Gold sales were up 57 per cent over that period.