That impression is correct.
I completely tried to ignore the POT panic. With my experience over 10 years. I never saw any sector rally last as long or get as big, though. Being only a OTC dabbler now. I relied on something which was changing right before my eyes and couldn't make sense of it. Missed a lot of gains there. Expecting the crash any day, for weeks and months. And staying away mostly.
But right after I, noticed Asher started dumping out of all their holdings. This was the start (in my mind) a change was ahead. Following I counted no less the 12 stocks being dumped by Asher and started noticing all my old experience with trading the OTC wasn't working well. Managed to close only (I don't know) maybe 6 OTC setup trades, over several months after the POT craze. And they were on free trading chart pattern, not darkside moves. Very strange. Then I started to here from penny players of this new dump along the way VC thing. And that has been seen enough now, to trust it.
There were comments from trusted board members that increased regulation was the cause of Asher getting out of the funding business and VCs (in general) taking bit by bit, over manipulated runs. And because of the huge never seen before, rally in POT scams, this was the cause of increased attention/regulation implementation.
But no matter how one looks at all this. IMO only the VC industry knows why they have changed their game. And no one posting on message boards are in the VC industry to explain what actually caused this change. So we all guess. And I have no idea what all this change was/is caused by. Only that the change has happened.
Actually don't care. But the goal now (for others) should be to find a way to see new setup indications. So one can take advantage of this knowledge and "Do what the big guys do!" again. I just don't personal have the desire to put in all the time and research I did the first time again, to continue playing at the OTC. So it's become real low on my radar. Actually probably won't include any portion of my portfolio in next years business plan for trading the OTC, for the first time ever.
