RE: My Two Cents"They all have clients in mining and trading throwing off enormous amounts of cash- with no place to go for a decent return."
Actually those are not the most motivated.
There is a growing desperation in the US over the prospects of paper based investments.
I am sure there is a mountain of cash that would very much like to be tied to something like a long range copper/gold play, and the inflation protection such an investment provides.
Just like a lot of us here....