http://www.coindesk.com/kncminer-declares-bankruptcy-cites-upcoming-bitcoin-subsidy-halving/

... so this is the real reason behind the rise, or rather the reason why bitcoin was being held down and now allowed to rise.  KNC miner was going broke and the chinese miners got wind of it so conspired (probably in cahoots with some notorious shorts) to hold price below cost of production until KNC was bust.  As soon as that happened they let the price go up to a new level ... where they think they can manage it.

These shennanigans have released some important information into the market, givn some of the game away so-to-speak.  Cost of production is somewhere around $480 at current difficulty so after halving that will be around ~$960, by a simplistic 1st order estimate.  Bitcoin price has never spent large amounts of time significantly below cost of production so it is a good bet that 3-6 months after halving bitcoin price is going to be ~$960.