What is the current price of ethereum?
The price of ethereum, or 1 ETH, traded at $2,635.86, as of 8 a.m. ET. The highest intraday price that ethereum reached in the past year was $4,088.00 on March 12, 2024.
Ethereum chart
The return comparisons are as of 8 a.m. ET.
Although ethereum is not the first altcoin, it’s the most popular and successful. The cryptocurrency was launched in 2015. Its blockchain has generated tremendous growth and returns over the past nine years.
Ethereum prices
*The chart above is pulling data as of 8 a.m. ET daily and doesn’t display intraday highs or lows.
Ethereum reached a 52-week intraday high of $4,088.00 on March 12, 2024, and a 52-week intraday low of $1,500.00 on Aug. 17, 2023.
The leading altcoin has a global market capitalization of $317.02 billion. Year over year, ETH has increased 42%.
Ethereum market cap
Today, ethereum's $317.02 billion market capitalization is second to bitcoin's. Together, bitcoin and ethereum represent 71% of the entire cryptocurrency market. While ethereum is the leading altcoin, other altcoins have relatively high market capitalizations. These include solana with a market cap of $91.15 billion, XRP at $58.67 billion and everyone’s favorite “meme” coin DOGE at $15.20 billion.
Bitcoin and ethereum's combined crypto market dominance has fluctuated over the years. But it has trended steadily higher since late 2022.
Ethereum's market cap of $317.02 billion is similar to some major blue-chip stocks, such as the Coca-Cola Co. (KO) at $296 billion and Merck & Co. (MRK) at $288 billion.
What is ethereum?
Ethereum is a blockchain-based network created to facilitate secure, decentralized financial transactions. The network's native cryptocurrency is ether.
Unlike bitcoin, ethereum’s programmable blockchain allows users to securely verify and execute code, including smart contracts and decentralized applications. Smart contracts on the ethereum network are software applications that run automatically on the blockchain when certain predetermined conditions are met.
The ethereum network's decentralized nature allows developers to run programs without relying on Big Tech companies or other third parties. Rather than running software on cloud servers housed in massive data centers owned by Google, ethereum users can run applications by leveraging ethereum's large network of small, private computers.
Applications on the ethereum blockchain include gaming, socializing, gambling and decentralized finance options. The ethereum blockchain is also home to the world's most significant nonfungible tokens. NFTs are unique digital creations representing ownership of digital property, such as a work of art, song or video.
Ethereum gas price
Ethereum gas is the fee network users pay to process transactions or use smart contracts on the network. Gas fees are akin to highway tolls. Users pay these fees to use the ethereum blockchain.
The unit of measurement for gas fees is gwei. One gwei equals one billionth of one ETH.
A history of ethereum prices
Ethereum prices 2015-2020
Ethereum launched in July 2015. Not long after, it hit its all-time low of 42 cents in October 2015.
But that didn’t last long. Trading picked up sharply in 2017. ETH hit $1,000 for the first time in January 2018. Just two weeks later, it reached a new peak of $1,300.
CME Group’s announcement that it would offer bitcoin futures contracts drove the rally. But enthusiasm ebbed in 2018. That year saw the start of a bear market, often referred to as a “crypto winter.”
2020 brought another boom. The COVID-19 pandemic likely played a major role. The distribution of stimulus funds and low interest rates meant many Americans had money to speculate.
Ethereum prices 2021-2024
Ethereum nearly cracked $5,000 at the end of 2021, hitting $4,891.70 on Nov. 16, 2021. But interest rate increases gave investors alternatives, resulting in another cooling of the market. High-profile bankruptcies, including leading cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November 2022, also hit the industry. ETH fell under $900 that year.
But 2023 brought a new rally and more optimism from investors. That carried into 2024, with the Securities and Exchange Commission approving several bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds in January.
Ether spot ETFs started trading in the U.S. on July 23, 2024. The funds come from BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale, to name a few. They can be found on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Chicago Board Options Exchange.
In early August 2024, ethereum prices plummeted after a widespread crypto sell-off hit global markets. Prices plunged from well above the $3,000 threshold on Aug. 3 to less than $2,500 on Aug. 4. Currently, ETH trades at $2,635.86.
Bitcoin price vs. ethereum price
Ethereum launched in 2015. Both ethereum and bitcoin have been spectacular investments since then.
The SEC’s approval of bitcoin spot ETFs in early 2024 has reversed the performance gap between the two cryptos. BTC is up 106% and ETH is up 42% year over year.
How to buy ethereum online
Ethereum is available on major crypto exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase and Kraken. It trades under the ticker symbol ETH. Select online brokerages also let you trade crypto, including Robinhood, Interactive Brokers and Webull.
You can buy ethereum using popular payment apps like Venmo and PayPal. And you can purchase it directly through physical cryptocurrency ATMs.
How to store ethereum
Anyone buying ethereum directly must store their ETH in a cryptocurrency wallet. This is much like storing paper money in a physical wallet.
Private keys are needed to send or receive cryptocurrency in a digital wallet. The person who controls a wallet's private keys controls all the cryptocurrency associated with the wallet.
Ethereum wallets can be hardware wallets resembling USB sticks or software wallet apps that store ETH on a smartphone or another device. Hot wallets are connected to the internet, while cold wallets are not. Hot wallets are generally considered more convenient, but cold wallets can be safer and more secure.
Ethereum ETFs
In addition to buying ethereum directly, you can indirectly speculate on the ethereum market via ethereum funds.
The SEC approved the first wave of ethereum futures ETFs in late 2023. These ETFs don't invest in ethereum directly but instead hold ethereum futures contracts. Leading ethereum futures ETFs include the VanEck Ethereum Strategy ETF (EFUT), the ProShares Ether Strategy ETF (EETH) and the Bitwise Ethereum Strategy ETF (AETH).
In July 2024, ether spot ETFs made their debut. These include the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) and the Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE).
A similar decision was made for bitcoin ETFs in January 2024 in terms of spot holdings. The approval of spot ETFs indicates a softening toward some cryptos in their legal fights.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Ethereum reached its all-time intraday high of $4,891.70 on Nov. 16, 2021.
No. Since the ethereum network upgraded from a proof-of-work model to a proof-of-stake model, ethereum mining is no longer necessary. But ethereum investors can still profit from the proof-of-stake system by staking ETH.
