You know, real silver bulls - as opposed to momo hopped bubble blowers - should not fear the CME margin requirement hikes.
All this does is mute the ability of speculators to blow silver off. Silver may well be topping out now, but I can tell you one thing; a top now, triggered by the efforts of the futures and options crowd to contain silver speculation, will be healthier at this point than whatever top would form in silver on a blow off left to its own devices.
Silver is in speculation panic mode, not investment mode. That never ends well.