PROOF the Fed Riggs the markets - as per their own charter:

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System - Credit and Liquidity Programs and the Balance Sheet - Open market operations

Open market operations (OMOs)--the purchase and sale of securities in the open market by a central bank--are a key tool used by the Federal Reserve in the implementation of monetary policy. The short-term objective for open market operations is specified by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). OMOs are conducted by the Trading Desk at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Obviously, "securities" refers not only to stocks and bonds, but also to gold and silver futures contracts (which set the 'paper' price of the metals).