My personal hypothesis: By 3rd/4th quarter of this year we will see ETF's, options, leveraging, etc come into the market. Once this occurs major Wall Street firms will start trading. This will create volume at levels never seen before and drive the price far, far higher.
They'll trade paper bitcoins that they can't back with real ones, and keep the exchange rate artificially low just like they do with gold.
yes but after the price goes to at least $50,000
If BTC is to replace gold, the price in its suppressed form will be at $300k, all things equal.
...but the things are not equal. Taking delivery of gold is costly and storage is difficult. With BTC much easier. If anyone tries to set up completely fraudulent BTC depositories, there is the frontrunner, Mt.Gox, that has bitten the dust.