Though it just may have been a coincidence, gold and silver tacked on some hefty gains the day when there was no treasury secretary and therefore no guardian of the Exchange Stabilization Fund fortress.

Unfortunately, imo, with Geithner now confirmed as Treasury Secretary, the ESF is no longer rudderless, and gold is no longer free to trade, well, freely. Since Geithner is a strong dollar advocate, my guess is that we can expect the same game plan to be in effect for gold and all things precious. Sure looks that way since his confirmation.