4. Prices and requests

Silver price trends between 1990 and 2005 are shown in table 5 . It is linked to demand, and is also subject to the ups and downs of gold prices.

Year-on-year price rises were around 37% in 2004 and 9% in 2005. Demand is mainly driven by industrial applications, particularly in the electronics industry. Overall, demand remains very firm, and prices continue to rise. Demand in the photographic sector continues to fall, as digital cameras are increasingly favored in developed countries. However, this decline is slightly offset by sales of disposable cameras in China.