A stock split is not irrelevant as it "lowers" the unit price - it has a strong psychological effect. Not sure if you've noticed, but some sites started to use mBTC instead of BTC when it broke $1,000! Volatility is decreasing as people aren't as hyped up as they were and don't rush to buy at any price anymore. What you see is people waiting and meanwhile doing decent day trading profits from the small movements up and down. BTC couldn't break 1,000 USD and 6,000 CNY, so, naturally, it's falling again.