Hi ESL, very astute observations. You are most likely correct that certain financial institutions consider PM intervention as a cash cow. The more they force others to sell at a loss, the bigger the payday for them. Any resolution of this fraud will be forced upon them externally as most of us know the CFTC and SEC are quite complicit. And any hope from the OSC is even more misplaced.

Thus far in Asia tonight, it seems that some entity was driven to bring the USD up to the 77 mark without any reason other than supposed follow-through from Bernanke's statement on Friday. A well respected financial trader had this to say on the unusual trading from last Thursday and Friday: "Other than stories the Korean Development Bank, under ex-Lehman Korea head Min Euoo Sung, who joined KDB in June, had been considering a major stake in Lehman Bros (LEH +5.0%), which speaks to the possibility of other foreign banks cleaning up the dire problems of America’s banks, why did this market reverse course so abruptly? Many observers believe it was a set-up to a speech by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke at the Fed Bank of Kansas City annual symposium, in which he opined that inflation pressures would moderate."

With options expiry this week, I would expect more in the way of turbulence. Dr. McHugh had an interesting chart that was just posted and may be worth watching this week...

http://tinyurl.com/644mkm

Regards - VHF