P.S. No way we'll see a multi-year bear market. Maybe a shift in the overall exponential trend to a slightly lesser (but still exponential) rise, but I'm convinced within 365 we will see a new ATH.
Following the 32 top, it took 1 1/2 years to make a new alltime high.
Why do you guys think it cannot happen again? Or happen even worse? In 2011, things looked awesome too. But then came the bear market, 6 months long, 95% loss. Slowly, progress was actually undone as merchant acceptance dwindled etc. Why? Because the price fell. It is all feedback loops.
The price does cause the news because it triggers or "unlocks" certain events, and the news is reflected in the price before it comes out, usually. Practical example: Had the price not risen so much so fast, the Chinese government wouldn't have done anything yet, probably. And, is it not easy to imagine that insiders on the chinese exchanges held back buying before and instead sold, which reflected in the chart patterns?
Why could it not happen again? The reasons are pretty obvious. Adaption on a much larger scale. Investment on a much larger scale. Acceptance on a much larger scale. Eco-system on a much larger scale. etc. etc. etc. 2011, Bitcoin was no even where LTC is today regarding these factors. Crypto currency was a pimple on the butt of obscurity.