1: MtGox opens the flood-gates (Prior to announcement, found by just trying to withdraw.)
2: Someone detects large moves in the block-chain, but coins were already sitting in wait on the other exchanges.
3: Some idiot prematurely dumps and causes a panic on the high exchanges.
4: The panic-Buy on MtGox runs up into crazy highs, with high resistance.
5: Other exchanges see rise, they rise in confusion/competition... (Wrong move)
6: Everyone with BTC on MtGox, who was going to move, tries to move... Some don't make it in time...
7: Other exchanges panic-sell with the actual dumping that follows. Get knocked down after crazy high prices just made a bunch of people a lot of money.
8: No intentions of cashing-out for the money on the other exchanges, the dumps go lower, in pure panic now...
9: All that "money" just gotten, is now used to buy-up all those panic-lows...
10: Quietly, they move the massive qty of BTC back to MtGox, waiting for the money to come a month later, from USA income-tax-returns. (Play money, to arrive in MtGox, now that the panic is over, and all exchanges are equally low, but MtGox still remains just enough under the highs, to get the deposits.)
11: Out of the remaining dust, the holders of money at the other exchanges just decide to cash-out the funds they had to spend on BTC... Some to deposit back on MtGox for the lower rates... After all, they have time, there is still another month expected before the actual peak-rush to come.
12: MtGox works overtime getting deposits into the exchange, opening an American bank, a Chinese bank, and a European bank... Near instant deposits, with no need for "international fees".
13: The world returns to normal as BTC hits a yearly true peak of $6000/BTC
14: Following months returns BTC back to a normal price of $900-$1240, for those who waited for the rush to end, fueling next years peak of $25,000
Great speculation! You are trying to tie all the pieces together. I agree with some parts, and disagree with others. My take is no more sure to be right or wrong than yours, but below are my thoughts.
1. Agreed.
2. If 1 occurs, so too will this.
3. Premature dump - Likely. Idiot is only one reason, others exist including inciting panic for profit, stopping out leveraged positions.
4. Price runup will occur, but 'crazy' is subjective. The equilibrium will be met when Gox price exceeds other-exchange prices by a percentage that matches the market's percent-belief that Gox is insolvent.
5. Disagreed. The market is not naive, these actions are priced in. Holders on other exchanges are anticipating greater selling pressure than buying pressure. New Gox BTC coming into those exchanges will then be sold as each investor hits their own preferred balance of fiat/BTC, moving from their starting position of 100% BTC, which they were forced into to get out of Gox. The selling pressure will result in other exchanges prices going down.
6. Disagreed. "Don't make it in time" implies that some will get out while others do not. If there was a risk of running out of funds, Gox would not choose that path forward, but instead a more restrictive path. Everyone will be able to take the same actions, the question is the extent of the restrictions on withdrawals.
7. Agreed other-exchanges move downward in price. But not from a higher price point. Rather, the decline will be generally smooth and downward, but will have its jagged spikes. It will look very similar to the decline on Gox from 900 to current levels. The timespan of that decline will be dependent on the withdrawal limits on Gox. The more stringent they are, the more drawn out the price decline will be.
From 8 on, the speculation depends on previous speculation, so I won't be so bold as you and continue. Except to say that generally, I think you're right. In the short to medium term, carnage. In the long term, this was a painful rite of passage that needed to occur to get to the next run-up.