It's possible the top may be in. NOT very likely, but possible. Dollar cost averaging works both ways - when buying and selling. Before the tragic boating accident in which I lost all my PM's, I had managed to get my basis to ZERO in them. It made the volatility a lot easier to bear, although the pain of losing them in the boating accident was not lessened a bit... but YMMV.
People should consider selling periodically - perhaps 10 /20 % every time a new threshold is met ($30, $35, $40....?) Or create your own "steps", but you've GOT to have a plan to get out as well. There is no road map showing WTSHTF a few months before we get there. Heck, we could already be there and folks just haven't recognized it. Bought your KI tablets yet? If not, don't wait much longer...
There is a LOT going on right now, not much of it good. The world's #3 economy, one that holds one of the larger legitimate pieces of our Nation's debt, is in chaos. (I say legitimate - as I don't believe the portion of the debt which the FED is holding to be legitimate... Japan actually worked and earned the money they loaned us, as opposed to creating it out of thin air as the FED has done...) But anyway - first the EARTHQUAKE. Then the TSUNAMI. Then the NUCLEAR EVENTS. Now a VOLCANO.
Look at this map.
http://www.stormsurfing.com/cgi/display_alt.cgi?a=npac_250 FYI - the 40 degree latitude out of Japan is about where you want to focus on. (See above about KI tablets...)
What affected the price of silver in 2008 will slam it down again, it's just a matter of time. (The events in Japan may indicate this time is *already* here, unfortunately...) The downturn that started in 2008, which has been put in slow motion through the questionable practices of ours (and others) central banks - won't buy us time forever. Sure, silver will again rise from there, but how fast? Will you need FRN's before it gets to where you want it to go? Can you ride out another 2008 crash without cashing in? Do you think someone is going to sell you that bugout property, when they need CASH, and all that you have is silver eagles (which are going for $15 at that point again...)?
If people are looking for somewhere to park FRN's, and it sounds like several folks are - you should be buying JUNK LAND somewhere that you can realistically get to, often enough to work on it in the days/weeks/months (or even years?) ahead. If you're in VA, don't buy it in WA, and vise-versa. The idea of successfully "bugging out" LONG DISTANCE is a Yuppie dream, on par with "real estate and the market always go up"! The junk land will need to be cleaned or cleared. The area where you are going to garden will need fertilized, and honestly, if you don't have at least a season working the land (more is better), you'll regret it unless you are VERY lucky. Fallout shelters, cabins, machine sheds, etc. don't erect themselves overnight, etc. etc. And if you waiting to move your stock of PM's, guns/ammo, water, food, supplies, family, etc. AFTER TSHTF, chances are HIGH it won't matter WHERE you sold your PM's at, as you are simply screwed at that point in time.
Honestly, I'm a little blown away that people who appear to be preppers don't know where to park some profits from their metals. Don't be stupid like me and put them in the bottom of the lake. And don't be stupid like the masses and wait until it's too late. If you think the whole thing is going up in smoke at some point, unless you're Amish, you've got a LOT of ground to cover. And even if you're Amish, you probably don't have the arsenel, food stock, commo, NBC, etc. etc. that you will WANT / need when that fateful day arrives.
Make no mistake about it, that fateful day is coming. Along with $50 silver, and sub $20 silver as well...
Perhaps the events in Japan are the trigger which leads to a nice buying point, if nothing else, I guess time will tell. The markets in the far east open in a few hours, it will be interesting to watch the Asian equities markets.