The reason for the hammering is the control that the bankers need to get on the circumstances.  This is not just the United States!  You’re seeing Europe, Japan, you’re seeing QE going on globally all at once, so the bankers are nervous as hell!  They have to dampen the paper market of gold, but at the same time they’re probably personally purchasing the physical metal, along with China, Russia, all the Stans, Iraq, Iran- this is taking a huge toll on London.