| Wishing you the best in 2001,   Gold talk. 
 MIDAS note:
 
 I received the following the other day from a
 very credible source: "Did you note ABX covered
 10,000,000 of their 13,000,000 ounces of short
 deferred gold using calls?"<p>
 
 Now that would be a major gold market event if true.
 Since I had heard of nothing of the sort, I put out
 a feeler to two major Barrick shareholders. They
 have come back to me now and said they have heard
 nothing of it either.<p>
 
 Let us step back a bit.
 
 A year ago, or so, Barrick was short 13.4 million
 ounces of forward gold. When Placer Dome announced
 early last February that it would be delivering into
 its hedges and not rolling them over, gold shot up
 from $290 to $320 in lightening fashion.
 
 Barrick was under pressure from shareholders around
 the world to do the same. They did not make that
 decision, but announced that they bought 6.8 million
 announces of calls against their forward sales.
 
 Those calls have been expiring and sources tell me
 they are down to 5.1 million ounces left. Sometime
 over the past many months they sold 5.5 million
 ounces of calls against the 5.1 million calls that
 were expiring on a monthly basis. That means their
 short position had grown to 13.8 million ounces
 (13.4 million plus 400,000 ounces).
 
 Barrick did not reveal to the public that they
 sold the 5.1 million ounces of calls. When confronted
 about this when it became public way after the fact,
 Barrick reportedly told perplexed inquirers that it
 was not material information.
 
 If that is what they said, I find their response to
 be a bit dubious at best. But, there is no way that buying
 10 million ounces of calls is not material, if they
 have done so. If true, certain shareholders are
 receiving inside information, while others are
 not.
 
 If true, what does Barrick know that it is not
 telling others? Why would they be covering their
 shorts now? What has JP Morgan told them? Does the
 Howe/GATA Complaint have anything to do with it?
 
 I am only reporting what a very credible source has
 told me. It will come out in time either way. But,
 if true, Barrick will have a lot of explaining to
 do. And, it certainly would be a VERY bullish gold
 market developments.
 
 Then one would have to wonder, who on earth would
 have sold that size call position to them at this
 late stage in the gold collusion game?
 
 Stay tuned!
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
 Tyrex Resources Corporation will be up and running in 2001.
 
 Maybe we can do battle some day.
 
 I always liked Damoti,  but after talking to Paul,  sounds like they would just work the High grade stuff.  I guess that all depends on Gold price,  maybe at 500, things would look way different.
 
 with SDM selling so low,  nice time to gamble.
 
 see how it goes in 2001.
 
 Going to try trading up North on internet,  see how that goes.
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