Chinese Bitcoin Exchanges turned off their fake volume engine
We are not just talking about fake volume, fake volume == fake price == bad reputation == another Gox.
I wouldn't be so quick to assume there was some kind of conspiracy on the part of the Chinese exchanges. There was no "fake volume engine".
To compare them with MtGox is ridiculous.
What occurred was that they used a zero-fee system. This meant that people could program bots to trade without worrying about trading costs. They could also buy and sell their own coins, often in large quantities, at no cost.
This is what caused the over-inflated volumes and why people considered them to be fake. That ended when the PBOC made them charge fees.
The Chinese volumes were an effect of: first no fees - this has changed, second bots used for inflating the volume - this should also be over as this was required by the authorities, third possibly by completely fake numbers generated by the exchanges - this should also be over as required by the authorities. This is well established now and it is a good explanation - that's why nobody asked Bobby Lee about it. No withdrawals can add to diminishing the volume even further - but it is not the primary reason - you are right there.
I agree.
I really don't think there were any fake numbers being generated by the exchanges, but I'll keep my mind open to the possibility.
If there was any intentional involvement, it would probably have been that the fake volumes helped obfuscate the total amount of
real volume going through the exchanges in the form of deposits and withdrawals, which were the real source of revenues for the exchanges. They had a vested interest in money laundering and capital outflow.
The PBOC is simply accomplishing what they set out to do.
Too bad for those who enjoyed the free ride of zero-fee trading. If you live in a city with a significant Chinese population, you'll know how much many Chinese people love to gamble. Imagine a casino with no zeroes on the roulette wheels or vigorish taken on the slots. Just pay an admission charge and gamble for free all day.
No wonder volumes dropped off abruptly. It wasn't because of turning off some imaginary fake volume engine. It was simply because people couldn't play for free any more.
JMHO