Silver Standard Resources engages in the acquisition, exploration and development of silver mineral properties in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru and the United States. Silver Standard controls the world's largest published in-ground silver resources of any publicly traded silver company.
SSRI currently trades at about $38.80 per share, and has had a good year, rising from less than $16 to its current price, just off its yearly high of over $40. Silver Standard has a market capitalization of $2 billion, and earns 28 cents per share. Its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is a lofty 137. It pays no dividend.

Silver prices are as high as they have been in more than 25 years, and mining companies are riding a boom in demand for the white metal. Silver is used in computers, cell phones and other electronics, medical, plus jewelry and photography, and is one of the hottest commodities in the world. The worldwide price for silver is more than $13 an ounce, the highest since the metal reached $20 in 1980. Before last year, silver hadn't been in double digits since 1983. So the pricing environment is good. Absent a major worldwide economic contraction, silver pricing should remain strong.
Thus, owning shares in Silver Standard offers investors a high leverage to silver price increases, with additional exploration upside. This is a pure silver play.