Most all of what you have said I do agree to, however your saying
It can't be held down forever.
much reminds me of what I had to say about silver after it dropped from the post Hunt brothers plateau around $13 down to $8, something I found myself thinking, if not saying, for twenty years. Granted, the fiat game has become close to critical, but it will only be critical once the trust and confidence evaporates, once the confidence game looses currency with the many. My long wait (for a very nice gain overall, should have bought even more at 3.5 to 4 per oz) caused me to shift from saying/thinking "it can't be manipulate, be undervalued, etc. forever" to instead reminding myself that "not forever" and/or "eventually" can be a very, very long time. Those controlling the market not only have very strong means, they also have many angles and leverage points to nudge from all corners.