It ain't either/or, it's both (...or all?) There is no conflict between holding gold and holding silver, holding silver or trading silver, trading silver or trading mining stocks, trading mining stocks or trading currencies, etc., etc. These are all false dualities that spring from individual preferences and the perpetual human desire to be right - and ideally, make everybody else wrong.
The biggest duality I see out there right now in the investment arena is the false choice between buying and trading gold (or gold stocks) or buying and trading cryptocurrency.
For example, as a lifelong proponent of the metals, was I a traitor to buy a modest amount of ETH a few months ago at $15 (now over $250) while still holding every single ounce of my PMs....as well as continuing to accumulate and trade AG and a few other select miners?
I firmly believe that the spectacular run-up currently being experienced by cryptos like BTC and ETH will soon be followed by a corresponding run-up in gold and silver, as welll as, of course, the miners. They are no more enemies to each other than are PMs and PM mining stocks.
Rather - as a few stubborn contrarians like Andy Hoffman have pointed out - they are allies in the fight against the slowly failing global fiat ponzi regime.