So, as many are well aware, Bitcoin saw a huge rise in 2017, peaking over $20,000 in some regions;
Of course, it would be tremendous to see those kinds of gains again in 2018, but with regulatory pressure coming down hard, bitcoin has in more difficult waters than ever before.
With segwit acceptance increasing, and the advent of the lightning network likely by year end, how does bitcointalk think
BTC will perform this year, and why?

In my own opinion, most people know about bitcoin doesn't know how bitcoin perform at certain time and the value of bitcoin at a certain place because it depends on the buyer in the market that demands bitcoin. If there are too many supplier then the value of bitcoin goes down so, no matter how many bitcoins you have but the demand of bitcoin is low, the performance and value of bitcoin won't increase. It's all about supply and demand (too many SUPPLIER the price will inflate, If the supply of bitcoin is rarely or seldom the price will surely increase and everyday trading of bitcoin increases the performance).