20 Million Ounces $XAG Draining Monthly. A 26% Physical Premium. Delivery at 98%.
This is no longer a price story.
It is a liquidity story.
More precisely:
a physical liquidity story inside a system built on paper leverage.
Silver at COMEX is not behaving like a normal commodity market.
It is behaving like a warehouse under stress.
I. Registered Silver: The Structural Drawdown
Five months ago:
200 million ounces of registered (deliverable) silver.
As of February 19, 2026:
88.79 million ounces remain.
A decline of more than 55% in less than half a year.
Average monthly drain:
~20 million ounces.
That represents roughly 30% of global monthly mine production.
If this pace continues — and if March contracts are not sufficiently rolled — registered inventory could mathematically approach zero by March 6, 2026.
A futures exchange without deliverable inventory is not a volatility event.
It is a structural event.
II. The Paper Price vs. The Real Price
COMEX reference price: ~ $55/oz.
Meanwhile:
First Majestic reports realized silver prices of ~$69.74/oz.Hecla Mining reports realized prices of ~$69.28/oz.
Two companies.
Two jurisdictions.
Two independent audit systems.
Same number: ~ $69.
That implies a 26–30% premium over COMEX pricing.
Industrial buyers are paying roughly $14 more per ounce to secure metal directly from miners rather than rely on exchange delivery.
This is not a temporary dislocation.
It is the physical market establishing its own clearing price.
COMEX may still set the reference.
It no longer appears to set reality.
III. Market Distortions Accelerating
1. Delivery Rate: 98%
Normal historical range: 5–20%.
February 2026: 98%.
Nearly every contract holder is demanding physical settlement.
When participants prefer metal over cash at scale,
the system is no longer functioning as a hedging venue.
It is functioning as a stress point.
2. Backwardation
Spot and near-dated contracts are trading above deferred months.
In commodity markets, persistent backwardation signals immediate physical scarcity.
It reflects urgency.
It reflects preference for present metal over future promises.
3. The China Arbitrage Channel
Shanghai silver $XAG trades up to $18/oz above New York.
Result:
Physical metal flows from the U.S. to China.
And it does not return.
Arbitrage is not just price convergence.
It is inventory extraction.
IV. Policy Friction: The Emerging Price Floor
While bullion banks attempt to contain paper pricing, U.S. policy signals move in the opposite direction.
Senior officials have confirmed the development of sophisticated price-floor mechanisms for strategic minerals — including silver.
The objective is clear:
Encourage domestic investment.
Secure supply chains.
Strengthen national resilience.
Strategic metals are not incentivized by suppressed pricing.
This creates a structural tension between short positioning and national industrial policy.
V. Five Indicators Over the Next Five Trading Days
Ahead of first notice day:
Roll rate
If open interest does not decline materially, March delivery pressure intensifies.
Registered inventory below ~85 million ounces
Delivery optionality becomes constrained.
Deeper backwardation spreads
Signals escalating physical stress.
Margin hikes
Indicates exchange intervention to reduce long positioning.
Eligible inventory declining alongside registered
Escalates risk from tightness to system-wide constraint.
Conclusion
The paper silver $XAG market is running out of time.
The physical silver market has already repriced — around $69 per ounce.
Such divergences rarely persist indefinitely.
Either:
Paper prices adjust upward,
orDelivery mechanisms face intervention or technical failure.
In this environment, the primary risk is not volatility.
It is availability.
When a centralized exchange begins to lose deliverable credibility,
repricing becomes less about speculation
and more about system integrity.
Quietly.
But decisively.
🔔 Insight. Signal. Alpha.
Hit follow if you don’t want to miss the next move!
*This is personal insight, not financial advice.
#SilverDrain #Silver #COMEXUpdate