freefall..., page-9

A considerable portion of traders/investors on the ASX are from overseas so what happens abroad in other markets matters here in Oz.
As for miners, especially in the PM's, I tend to watch the $HUI (Gold Bugs Index) which is a good proxy for miners.
I also watch the $USD...generally it goes up when there is fear & risk in the markets.....Europe is a case in point.....and we see the PM's go down.
I also look at the $BPGDM...tracks the sentiment of PM buyers/sellers, so in effect when sentiment is way down, it's a good contrarian bet that things will swing upwards.
This is of course not fool proof at the best of times but what it does do is reduces risk of getting it wrong...jumping in or out.
Charts for the above can be generated here:
http://stockcharts.com/freecharts/index.html

Hot Copper is also good as some posters really do their homework / analysis, however, it is a forum after all so you've got to be wary of what some may wish to post.

Finally, I've found both the following sites invaluable in learning about gold & silver....both free so have a look......hope this helps.

http://goldscents.blogspot.com/
http://www.tfmetalsreport.com/