That shoot up was complete manipulation by Binance. It was a way for Binance to save face for its involvement in the Steem hostile takeover. A facilitated Dumpster. Since then though Hive has had a falling out with Binance due to the issue regarding the "whiteknight hack" so the story is troubling.

Trade volume is dropping heavily on all exchanges because development is just not happening. The buzz around SMTs is making new waves internally but it's so unorganised that I think it's more about trying to build morale than to actually deliver product. The branding and marketing is also nonexistent.

To expect a run like steem had in the ICO days is history that will not repeat. Back then social media rewards with a crypto had novelty. Now, even long time holders and contributors here see that as a negative which is not gaining users. The opposite actually. Low price means not many commit to working their asses of for a few cents/dollars.