Bitcoin Cash is now insurance against not raising block size to 2MB in November as Segwit2x prescribes to do.
2mb still isn't nearly enough and segwit adds way too many new uncertainties. Bitcoin Cash still to me looks like the winner over the other 2-3 chains we will have by November. It could become more profitable to mine already any day and with the ability to rapidly scale it is dangerous to not be hedged with Bitcoin Cash as a holder.
Is it profitable yet to mine? I thought the emergency difficulty readjustment code would have encouraged mining profitability from Day 1. I'm not sure where else to gauge hash rate except ViaBTC, and the Bcash hash rate has been falling for days there. It's sitting at 17P now. Network difficulty has definitely dropped considerably, but I can't figure the math right now.
The Bitcoin Cash saga adds a new twist to the narrative as we head towards the November hard fork. The fact that it wasn't a significant split off the back makes me wonder whether we will have a real split in November either. Maybe the ecosystem will turn its back on Segwit2x...