Quote Originally Posted by peat View Post
i find it pretty hard to swallow all the manipulation/conspiracy theories . . .
Peat, for me and many other gold investors out there, there are no conspiracy theories when it comes to gold. The truth is there for those who care to look with open eyes. GATA has been collecting information for a decade now and their case for the manipulation of the gold market is overwhelming. Have a look at their website.

http://www.gata.org

Manipulation of the gold market (price) is by extension a manipulation of the gold shares and is illegal under US anti-trust laws - except if the manipulator happens to be the US Government itself.

Add to this the incredibly destructive practice of naked shorting, which is only made possible by the collusion of the very government agencies that are charged with the responsibility of market oversight, and blind freddie could tell you that the game is rigged in favor of the banksters.

Have a look at the evidence that GATA has discovered including a recent top secret document from the archives of the St. Louis Federal Reserve that is the virtual blueprint for the modern day scheme that has depressed gold, kept US interest rates artificially low and has become the cornerstone of the Rubin "strong dollar policy".

http://www.gata.org/node/7095

One has to ask the question . . . who stands to lose the most from a rising gold price and why? Now there is a rabbit hole if ever there was one . . .

Cheers