Silver Won't Shelter You By Howard Simons About this article: It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine... -- Elton John and Bernie Taupin I have not written on silver since March 2005, even though both the commodity and silver-mining stocks have risen and fallen substantially since then. Let's redress that right now and see what has been going on with the white metal. First and foremost, silver has taken a beating in recent months, as have nearly all physical commodities. It has lost 50.4% of its value on a rolling-contract basis from its high on the date of the Bear Stearns bailout, March 17, 2008, through Dec. 12, 2008. Gold, in contrast, has fared better with a loss of only 19.1%. The only physical commodity in the Reuters/Jefferies CRB index to gain over that period has been live hogs, which after years of admonition have been the bulls on Wall Street and may one day... Or, call us at 1-866-321-TSCM (8726) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. Outside the U.S. and in Canada, call 1-212-321-5200. More Stories From RealMoney Durable Goods Up Move Down the Tech Food Chain Jobless Claims Still High Bulls' Tenacity Is the Big Question Mark Should You Buy It? Pharmaceutical Product Development Bad News Trumps All Support for Banks Holds, For Now Bummer, Yields Are on the Rise Money on the Line Makes a Big Difference Structured Products: Unsafe at Any Price MORE STORIES FROM REALMONEY

If you choose a 14-day free trial of RealMoney and you do NOT call to cancel within those 14 days, you will pay $129.95 — a $100 savings off the regular annual subscription price of $229.95. Unless you cancel before the end of that year, your subscription will automatically renew for another year at the then-current subscription price.

Offer applies only to new annual subscriptions, and is subject to change at any time. Void where prohibited.

If you choose a monthly subscription, you pay $34.95 per month. You will be notified if the current monthly rate of $34.95 changes at any time in the future.

TheStreet.com is a publisher. None of the contributors or their affiliates will provide you with personally tailored advice concerning the nature, potential, value or suitability of any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, investment strategy or other matter. From time to time, any or all of the contributors or their affiliates may hold positions in securities mentioned and they may trade for their own accounts. In cases where the position is held at the time of publication, appropriate disclosure is made.

© TheStreet.com, Inc., 14 Wall Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10005.