The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that gold is not the only precious metal that has more than doubled over the past three years. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says silver has actually outperformed gold amid mounting risks in the spheres of geopolitics, the economy and global trade driving increased demand for the time-honoured haven assets. An escalation in President Donald Trump's attacks against the Fed this year has become the latest cause for investor alarm, with concerns over the central bank's independence threatening to erode confidence in the United States. Markets are now waiting for a landmark ruling on whether Mr. Trump has legitimate grounds to remove Fed governor Lisa Cook from the central bank. Silver is up about 40 per cent so far this year compared with gold's 30-per-cent rise, with prices breaching $40 (U.S.) an ounce for the first time since 2011. The metal is also valued for its industrial uses in clean-energy technologies, including solar panels. Investors have piled into silver-backed exchange-traded funds, with holdings expanding for a seventh consecutive month in August. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was up 0.6 per cent Tuesday, heading for the biggest gain in a month.