Silver sees largest yearly gain in at least 30 years

Silver scored an 80% gain in 2010, its largest in at least 30 years, according to Friday's fixing, due to rising demand from investors seeking a cheaper safe-haven than gold and to tap into its exposure to the industrial growth cycle.

The silver price fixed at 3,063.00 US cents an ounce versus 3,070.00 cents at the last fixing on Thursday, showing an 80% rise based on the fixings.

The spot price was last at $30.58, up 0.5% on the day, bringing the gains for the year for the freely traded price to nearly 82%.