However, gold and silver miners had a positive session.

Large fund managers have generally been sympathetic toward silver miners' move to spread their bets.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Pure-play silver miners, a niche investment market popular with retail investors, are moving up the endangered list.

VANCOUVER, April 27 (Reuters) - Pure-play silver miners, a niche investment market popular with retail investors, are moving up the endangered list.

An index of gold and silver miners' shares .XAU fell 2.6 percent after hitting an all-time high earlier in the day.

BMO estimates that silver sales will make up only 51 percent of silver miners' revenue this year, down from 67 percent in 2011.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold rose 5.9 percent to $37.89 and an index of gold and silver miners' shares rose 3.7 percent.