I appreciate your insight, Portee's too.

Here are my responses. First, for not shorting anything, I think shorting is simply selling. You buy later, so you are not undermining anyone any more than anyone who sold PDG or Kinross or anyone else. You are obliged to strengthen that issue in the future.

Another reason I think the ETF's are a better short is they aren't as event driven. If I shorted PDG and they found 100 M of solid gold.... yikes! That is exactly what Konor's oil play did. Silver and gold and oil can take good spikes (and it looks like silver isn't done yet), but the right NR can move a stock over 100% while the markets are closed, yet commodiy ETF's aren't quite that volitile. To short a company that is taken over would be a big loss.

I have bought HOU and HOD at times as speculative investments/hedges (the farm goes through lots of fuel) and have done ok. One is a "short" but is "bought long". I can and do put stop losses on them. If I was to turn it around and short the side I think is wrong, I achieve the same effect with a better chance to come out ahead due to the erosion of unit value that is inherat in these beta ETF's. I can also but a buy stop on to limit my risk the same way a stop loss does.

Anyhow, I don't mean to argue to have you agree with me, everyones opinion is their own and valued, but curious if anyone has any info/experience on shorting ETF's (special rules???). Do many PDG'ers use these ETF's currently as a hedge or speulatve investment?