And even before that it momentarily crashed to $160
Those prices are not comparable with the hopes of the people about the price of bitcoin. I personally have heard and had hopes that the prices it would be and goes very very higher than those amounts. For bitcoin which is to much volatile those changes and those differences are nothing. For me it is like are the same price.
Repeating myself, to hope for something out of nothing is the most popular form of hope
It was hoping for nothing. The price of bitcoin in very few time (months) was increased in an exponential way in the times of 12000 us dollar one bitcoin. These are facts and not hopes that the prices could continue this trend. It was a trend of months and not days or weeks. Then the other facts tell that the high price is possible. One of those: the number of bitcoin is limited and the popularity is increasing every day. More people know it, more want it, more price will (must) go high.
There are rumors that it had been the Mt.Gox trading bot Willy (Billy?) which had been constantly bidding up the price. Kinda seems times of Billy-Willy are gone for good...