If I owned Barrick Gold would I spend 10 Billion dollars on speculation?

No, however I would venture they know more about this area or this property than the average investor. Don't they own a good percentage of Dynatec? So they might try a low bid before the price is out of reach. If a company decided to do that, say $5 - $7 a hostile bid might be their only chance to take it out for less than 1 Billion.

HighRigger