I noticed this as well. I don't know the exact relationship, but I do see Steem is up a little today: http://coinmarketcap.com/

I think we'll learn more here on Steemit or maybe on the slack channel. In any case, IMO, the best way to approach Steemit might be to just enjoy writing and interacting here, and then see what happens on July 4th as far as payouts.