user492: Over the past three weeks the prices of bitcoins in U.S. dollars has more than doubled.  Does anyone know why?  Is there some recent publicity that drove up interest (so that maybe prices will fall after it dies down)?

user323: According to Google Trends, there was an article on Slashdot about Bitcoins:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=bitcoin&ctab=0&geo=all&date=mtd&sort=0
And one could also attribute it to some other little things, like the small hype about The Good Wife's upcoming episode, or many prominent websites accepting Bitcoin donations:
http://www.thebitcointrader.com/2011/12/bitcoin-bounty-ladder.html
But then again, pricing Bitcoins at 2$ might've been psychologically too low for some people (like the miners that heavily invested in hardware around the big bubble).
All in all, there isn't any sure prediction about how the Bitcoin price will behave, as the project is still young. Anyone can speculate, and your guess is as good as mine. If you want to discuss this issue, the question should be addressed on the forum, not on StackExchange.

492: <p>Over the past three weeks the prices of bitcoins in U.S. dollars has more than doubled.  Does anyone know why?  Is there some recent publicity that drove up interest (so that maybe prices will fall after it dies down)?</p>
 323: <p>According to Google Trends, there was an article on Slashdot about Bitcoins:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.google.com/trends?q=bitcoin&amp;ctab=0&amp;geo=all&amp;date=mtd&amp;sort=0" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/trends?q=bitcoin&amp;ctab=0&amp;geo=all&amp;date=mtd&amp;sort=0</a></p>

<p>And one could also attribute it to some other little things, like the small hype about The Good Wife's upcoming episode, or many prominent websites accepting Bitcoin donations:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.thebitcointrader.com/2011/12/bitcoin-bounty-ladder.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.thebitcointrader.com/2011/12/bitcoin-bounty-ladder.html</a></p>

<p>But then again, pricing Bitcoins at 2$ might've been psychologically too low for some people (like the miners that heavily invested in hardware around the big bubble).</p>

<p>All in all, there isn't any sure prediction about how the Bitcoin price will behave, as the project is still young. Anyone can speculate, and your guess is as good as mine. If you want to discuss this issue, the question should be addressed on the forum, not on StackExchange.</p>
