several other caveats include the short term problem of decreasing production and reserves at many mines. long term this is a positve as it should help the price of gold and encourage those with cash to buy out juniors. another problem i have been reading about is the increasing costs of production. summer is also historically a weak seasonal period. i welcome your input and hope zeev and others will direct more focus and analysis in this area. i am starting to trade some of the stocks again after cashing out weeks ago, but only for a swing or trade until i feel more comfortable that some type of a bottom is forming.