Silver bounced back to steady ground after taking its sharpest hit in over five years. The metal endured a brutal one-day selloff, but traders weren't caught off guard—most had been riding the wave of year-end strength and decided it was time to lock in gains. Classic profit-taking at work here. The pullback actually makes sense given how far silver had run up into the close of the year. Institutions and retail traders alike were likely reassessing positions and rebalancing ahead of the new cycle. So while the headline looks grim, it's really just market mechanics playing out.