Speculation and a squeeze: A timeline of the roller coaster ride in gold and silver that ended in a crash

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• Dramatic declines in gold and silver shook the market on Friday.
• Sell America sentiment eventually sparked a speculative mania that set the stage for the drop.
• The music stopped as momentum traders stumbled, and Trump's Fed pick caused investors to rethink the debasement trade.

The violent drop in silver and gold prices felt like a sudden end to a yearlong party in metal markets, but a cocktail of forces had set the stage for a burst of volatility.