2 Silver Mining Stocks to Consider Buying Now -- and 1 to Avoid

Silver mining stocks failed to shine in 2017. Low silver prices proved to be a major growth hurdle -- unlike gold's double-digit rally, silver's gains are only about 3.3% so far this year -- giving miners a hard time growing their top and bottom lines. The struggles were evident in stocks across the board: From the largest silver mining stock by market capitalization, Pan American Silver (NASDAQ: PAAS), to its closer rivals Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL) and Coeur Mining (NYSE: CDE) to the smaller players First Majestic Silver (NYSE: AG) and SSR Mining, silver stocks have shed double-digit percentages in the past year.

The only silver stock that has made investors any money so far this year is Wheaton Precious Metals (NYSE: WPM) -- and only because Wheaton Precious isn't a miner but a streaming and royalty company, and can thus earn strong margins even at low silver price points (thanks to its offbeat business model).

The price disparity between silver and gold can be linked to the strikingly different factors driving demand for the two metals. While geopolitical uncertainty, especially in the U.S. and Europe, fueled emotional investing in gold thanks to the yellow metal's safe-haven appeal against inflation and economic uncertainty, silver -- a metal primarily used for industrial purposes -- failed to capture investor attention. 2018, however, could be a turnaround year for silver mining stocks for three reasons:

Source: Fool.com