You're right, Silverlining, there are a whole raft of exploration stocks that have been crushed to bits.

Sharp662 is also correct, jitters over the fed possibly tapering its stimulus continue to drive the markets lower lately. That tapering will happen eventually, so that threat will hang over our heads for a while.

Anyone remember that Globe and Mail article on the junior copper stocks that were the best candidates to be bought out? It was published around 2.5 years ago. I can't find a link to it so I'm going from memory.

Here, for the sake of comparison, is how some of the most highly-touted junior copper explorers have fared compared to CUU over the past two years:

Copper Fox Metals (CUU): Down 62.3% (High of $1.54 on Feb. 3, 2012; closed at 42 cents today)

Nevada Copper Corp (NCU): Down 65.2% (High of $5.56 on Jan. 20, 2012; closed at $1.70 today)

Duluth Metals (DM): Down 60.3% (High of $2.63 on Dec. 4, 2012; closed at $1.00 today)

Redhawk Resources (RDK): Down 50.9% (High of 73 cents on March 13, 2012; closed at 27 cents today)

Candente Copper Corp. (DNT): Down 83.8% (High of $1.45 on Nov. 15, 2011; closed at 21.5 cents today)

Western Copper Corp. (WRN): Down 67.7% (High of $2.13 on Nov. 15, 2011; closed at 65 cents today)

And this one wasn't on the Globe and Mail's list, but it was a favourite spec stock among a number of members here:

Catalyst Copper Corp. (CCY): Down 90% (High of 15 cents on March 26, 2012; closed at 1 cent today)

So there's a definite trend here. Even the best bets have taken a brutal beating.

Now, while that offers some consolation, the reason I picked CUU was because I thought it was the premier choice -- the pick of the crop, with the best chance of being bought out first. The idea was to take the profits from CUU and then pick up shares in one or two of the other leading horses to earn another multiple.

Those plans could still work out, but I'm not holding my breath!

GLTA