CFTC Commissioner Raises Alarm Over Silver Market Manipulation

10-26-2010 • JessesCrossRoadsCafe.blogspot.com/

The manipulation in the silver market with two or three banks holding enormous undeliverable short positions was obvious, for years. The CFTC was complicit in turning a blind eye to this, stonewalling and whitewashing the corruption, as were many market commentators and participants. Ted Butler and GATA did a wonderful job of highlighting this enormous fraud but were ignored and even vilified for the past twelve years in the same vein as whistle blower Harry Markopolos was in raising concerns about Madoff's investment scheme. Bart Chilton is speaking out as he said a few weeks ago he would if the CFTC was not making progress in correct this travesty. This is the sort of reform that the people were seeking when they swept the Democrats into office, a reform which they never received. This obviously should be investigated by an independent body, given the regulatory capture held by the banks who manipulated the market to the detriment of the world in suppressing prices and creating an artificial shortage that will be painful to unwind. This is not a partisan issue, but involves politicians of both parties going back twenty years or more, in both London and New York. And the corruption is pervasive and ongoing in multiple US finanical and commodity markets. The regulators and ratings agencies have not been doing their jobs. Some will attempt to dismiss what Mr. Chilton is saying here as inconclusive. Keep in mind that he is a high profile CFTC official, and what he says comes through a 50,000 watt megaphone, so he must choose his words with great care. But this is almost unprecedented for an official to speak out against his own administration.