IMO this is happening industry wide. There seems to be a determined push (hopefully a final one) to separate people (weak hands) from their gold, silver, and precious metals share positions.

Margin requirements are

35% for $6&up stocks

50% for $5&up stocks

75% for $4&up stocks

100% for less than $4

I have been watching the battles go on for a couple of weeks to force the stock to close below and into the next higher margin bracket for two weeks now. TRX was forced below $4.00 and then someone was forced to vomit up an approximately six million share position. The stock usually trades 200-250 thousand shares a day. A few minutes after it was forced below $4 6 illion shares traded in one minute or so. The short interest read 21% on that day. The next day it was 14%. Score a victory for the bankers who got out cheaply. Today and for the past weeks I have watched that same battle in UXG as it has been pushed down from over $6 (level by level) until as I write now it is under $4 per share.

The COMEX set up in silver is becoming extremely bullish so I suspect this raid will end before too much longer. The commercials covered 40.4% of their massive short position in silver by Tuesday of last week. Wednesday through Friday they were likely very busily doing the same. They were also covering gold shorts but were less effective as the price simply would not collapse.

At any rate the share price of many good companies is being slaughtered as well.

Time to kick the soccer ball.

I may be wrong as to who I am blaming as many hedge funds went long metals and short the shares. At least in the shares the bankers have the funds as partners trying to cover.

P.