Because of this

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=am8w_kGrBkzM&refer=home

we get this

http://www.kitco.com/charts/popup/au24hr3day.html

This experience has led me to believe that one of the best ways to protect the financial system against future systemic shocks, including the possible failure of a major counterparty, is by strengthening the financial infrastructure, including both the ``hardware'' and the ``software'' components