I think if you believe that price dropping is because of manipulation, then it must be also manipulated when.it increases. IMO, it's a market cycle.and will pass like others before.
For me, yeah this is always a manipulation that is happening right now in market. bitcoin is independent and anonymous coin, but it is always being trapped under umbrellas of investors. We often call them whales and these whales are so powerful that they can make the market move up or down with their one single action. To some extent this profitable to bitcoin too as this makes it popular worldwide.