The ethereum price crossed $1,000 on Thursday, marking yet another historic milestone for the third-largest cryptocurrency.

Ethereum Price Rips Past $1,000

Only four days have been marked off on the calendar, but January has already been a banner month for the altcoin markets. In this brief span, the combined value of altcoin market caps has swelled by more than $140 billion, and altcoins now account for more than two-thirds of the cryptocurrency market cap. Earlier this week, ripple became the first altcoin to achieve a $100 billion market cap, and ethereum now appears poised to add its name to this exclusive list.

Like most cryptocurrencies, ethereum has been on an extended rally since the beginning of December, when it was priced at $428. Over the course of the month, the ethereum price rose by 76 percent — even as bitcoin endured a moderate decline — and it ended the year at $752.

Despite dropping behind a surging ripple, ethereum extended its rally into 2018, breaking through both $800 and $900 earlier in the week. This afternoon — at approximately 14:00 UTC — the ethereum price achieved a historic milestone, ripping past the $1,000 mark for the first time in its history.