FROM CASEY RESEARCH ON SATURDAY 2/7/09

LINK TO THIS DAILY EMAIL: http://caseyresearch.com/displayDrp.php?e=true EXCERPT: "In a nutshell...it's the same old, same old routine as we've seen for the last decade or so. The '4 or less' traders in the Commercial category [U.S.bullion banks] continue to take the short side of virtually every long trade. They do it because there are no willing free-market participants that are stupid enough to take the short side of the trade at these prices for either gold or silver. If the bullion banks weren't there to take the other side of the trade, the prices for both metals would already be at the outer edges of the known universe...which is exactly what the U.S. government, the Fed and the U.S. bullion banks don't want to happen...as their precious US$ would disappear in the blink of an eye. Well, you say, how am I so sure it's the U.S. bullion banks that are involved. A couple of things. The first is called the monthly Bank Participation Report [BPR] which, coincidentally, was also issued yesterday...and also for positions held at the end of trading on February 3rd...the same as the latest COT. Both are snapshots of positions held at the exact same point in time...the close of business on Tuesday. So let's see what it says about what the U.S. bullion banks are up to. Firstly, silver...where it reports that two [or less] U.S. banks are short 27,189 contracts. The two [or less] U.S. banks have zero long positions. [As a comparison, there are thirteen non U.S. banks that are long 8,416 contracts and short 1,871 contracts.] Now...in the Commitment of Traders report yesterday, the silver net short position in the Commercial category was reported to be 33,173 contracts. So, by straight division, two [or less] U.S. bullion banks are short 82% of the net silver short position in the Commercial category on the Comex!!! Any questions? Now in gold, the Bank Participation Report [BPR] says that three [or less] U.S. bullion banks are short 111,190 contracts (a record high by a long shot!). They are long 3,629 contracts...so net, they are short 107,561 contracts. [As a comparison in gold, there are twenty-three non U.S. banks that are long 33,434 contracts and short 42,335 contracts.] In Friday's Commitment of Traders, the gold net short position in the Commercial category was reported to be 177,589 contracts. So, once again by straight division, three [or less] U.S. bullion banks are short 60% of the net gold short position in the Commercial category on the Comex. And if you remove all spreads in both metals, these short positions by these U.S. banks go from obscene to grotesque! Yet the CFTC says they're still studying the issue. The link to the Bank Participation report is (http://www.cftc.gov/dea/bank/deafeb09f.htm)... and you'll have to scroll down a bit."