Monero price increase in 2016 was not due some new markets opened. But was due that darkmarkets recognized Monero as best fungible currency. With few markets closing that recognition still stays as valid.
With all new people in crypto and so much more money and so much more media expose of Monero and so much more development that is allready big and just keeps increasing. I and many are surprised that Monero managed to increase its price only 3 times in 2017.
Monero's rise in 2016 was at the front end of a wave of increases in many coins including ETH, DASH, and XRP (and of course BTC). It is quite plausible that the stage was just set for explosive gains across the board after a couple of years of steady accumulation and steadily growing interest in the asset class, and while XMR just happened to catch a spark first, the spark wasn't the main reason for the explosion, the accumulation of fuel was.
I thought Japan started the last market bubble.
is many fold not the least of which it is still a pita for people to use the wallet and the only advertised phone app is a trojan. That really must be drawing the crowds in. :rolleyes: