While a team can do this, they certainly shouldn't for a myriad of reasons. One being it is unethical and if anybody catches them, the project will lose a lot of confidence. Two and just as important is if you have a good project you shouldn't need to worry about manipulating the price. Only weaker coins or tokens that are about that P n D life will manipulate (at least this how I view it).
I understand your point, but this isn't a PnD, its part of the value of the coin. As the underlying portfolio trades and makes profits they will be distributed to holders, with the extra twist of the token burns. So it can create semi stable value but also a possibility for interesting gains.