Very nice: improved production and revenue; increased benefit to the local economy; but maybe the biggest impact will be the PR publicity and political approval/endorsement aspects. ECU management can really take advantage of this "photo opp" and kudos to them.

I believe the ongoing, tenacious campaign to short ECU stock will have to be stepped up a notch now...(even if it is part of the pool of illicit short trading by the Cdn. banks courtesy of Wall St.). The short side is now trading right into the face of ongoing huge pressure to the upside of gold/silver prices. No one can deny the incredible potential of ECU, a Mexican behemoth staged and poised for a frenzy of investmet capital.