Gold-silver ratio, March 16 -- The gold-silver ratio, a key metric tracked by bullion investors, is trending higher amid the geopolitical tensions, given investors' inclination to park money in gold rather than silver during periods of acute stress.

The Middle East conflict, though, has challenged the traditional status that gold and silver enjoy. Both precious metals have remained in the red despite the conflict, but the fall in gold remains capped as against silver, giving the yellow metal an upper edge and driving the gold-silver ratio.

US spot gold prices, currently at $5000, have lost 5% in March so far amid the US-Iran war that has entered its third week of conflict. Meanwhile, US spot silver is down 15.5% during the same period a...