How do you use that correlation to predict anything? The fact that now the transaction count is at such and such level and that this correlates with the current price does not tell you anything with future prices - or does it? Or do you say that the transaction count leads the price? I don't see that from that chart alone - but if you show me I might change my opinion on this. Currently I think that all those transactions are just people speculating on bitcoins, in July with those high prices there was just lots of speculation going on now it is slowly dieing off.
Well, you can sort of predict and sort of can't. The prediction comes simply from looking at how the graph of the declining transaction count curves down and it looks like it's leveling off. That's it. It could also be going down again after that, but that's the point where you simply have to look at what's going on in the real Bitcoin-world and stop looking at charts.
My main point was that the current price range seems to correlate with the size of the economy, that's it. Predicting how the economy will grow based on that chart is not possible I think, it simply looks like it's leveling off.
And you're right that most of the transactions are people speculating on Bitcoins. I don't disagree. But I think it's stupid to assume that the amount of real trade for good and services hasn't also shot up significantly, and now that has come down as well. This could be verified by merchants if we get their view.
Another important indicator is Google trends, which I think will correlate especially well with how much trade the merchants are experiencing.
Here is a 12 month chart: (
http://www.google.com/trends?q=bitcoin&ctab=0&geo=all&date=ytd&sort=0), there is no sign of a new uptrend or anything like that and I've already said I'm not calling a trend, but the decline of google trends has leveled off almost completely. And now it's at levels high enough to sustain the current price if the correlation continues to be true.
So, to summarize again, the price is not going to suddenly drop significantly and stay there. The fundamental economy size and the interest people have in Bitcoin will guarantee a certain bottom price range for now. As for the future goes, I'm not calling anything, simply saying that what's happening in the Bitcoin world looks very promising to me.