What is the current price of ethereum?
The price of ethereum, or 1 ETH, traded at $2,581.58, 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 price chart
*The return comparisons are as of 8 a.m. ET.
While not the first altcoin, ethereum is among the best-known. The cryptocurrency has seen rapid growth in its blockchain and value since its 2015 launch.
Ethereum prices
The chart pulls data as of 8 a.m. ET daily and doesn’t display intraday highs or lows.
Ethereum’s 52-week intraday high was on March 12, 2024, trading at $4,088.00 per ETH. Its 52-week intraday low was $1,640.00 on Oct. 26, 2023.
The leading altcoin has shifted global financial markets and amassed a global market capitalization of $310.62 billion. ETH is currently up 40% year over year.
Ethereum market cap
Ethereum’s market capitalization of $310.62 billion is second to bitcoin’s. It’s similar to some major blue-chip stocks. These include the Coca-Cola Co. (KO) at $297 billion and Merck & Co. (MRK) at $270 billion.
ETH is a popular choice among crypto investors. Together with bitcoin, it makes up 71% of the crypto market.
What is ethereum? And how does ethereum work?
Ethereum is a blockchain-based network that facilitates secure, decentralized financial transactions. Its native crypto is ether.
Its programmable blockchain lets users securely verify and execute code using smart contracts and decentralized applications. This differs from bitcoin, which has a limited capacity to run smart contracts. Smart contracts are software applications that run automatically on the blockchain when specific conditions are met.
By operating on a decentralized network, ethereum helps users avoid third parties. This could appeal to you if you don’t want to rely on Big Tech companies. Instead of running software on Google’s servers, for example, you can leverage ethereum’s network.
It can run a variety of applications for socializing, gaming, gambling and decentralized finance. The network also houses nonfungible tokens, which represent ownership of unique digital assets.
Ethereum gas price
The ethereum network isn’t free to use. Users must pay gas fees, similar to highway tolls, which support its operation. Gas fees fluctuate based on supply and demand for transactions.
Gas fees are expressed as gwei. One gwei represents one billionth of one ether.
A history of ethereum prices
Ethereum prices 2015-2020
Ethereum launched in July 2015 and hit its all-time low soon after. In October 2015, ETH traded for just 42 cents.
Cryptocurrency rose in popularity in 2017. In January 2018, ETH reached $1,000 for the first time. It peaked at about $1,300 a couple of weeks later.
The announcement of bitcoin futures contracts from CME Group helped drive that 2017 surge. But when enthusiasm waned in 2018, prices dropped. That led to a crypto winter.
Prices rose again in 2020. This time, COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns likely gave ethereum a boost. Thanks to government stimulus checks and low interest rates, many Americans put their cash into crypto.
Ethereum prices 2021-2024
Ethereum prices neared $5,000 in late 2021, reaching $4,891.70 on Nov. 16, 2021. But rising interest rates cooled crypto markets in 2022. High-profile bankruptcies also hit the industry, most notably crypto exchange FTX in November 2022. The price of ETH fell below $900 that year.
But the crypto bounced back. Prices have been on the rise in 2023 and 2024. The Securities and Exchange Commission approved several bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds in January 2024.
The first U.S. ether spot ETFs began trading on July 23, 2024. The funds come from Grayscale, Fidelity, BlackRock and more. They can be found on the Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, 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 $2,581.58.
Bitcoin price vs. ethereum price
Since ethereum’s launch in 2015, there’s no question that bitcoin and ETH have been spectacular investments.
The past year’s enthusiasm for bitcoin spot ETFs has reversed the performance gap between the two major cryptos. The price of bitcoin is up 92% year over year, compared to a 40% gain for ethereum.
How to buy ethereum
You can buy ethereum on popular cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance, Coinbase and Kraken. Ethereum trades under the symbol ETH. There are also online brokerages that support cryptocurrency trading, such as Robinhood, Interactive Brokers and Webull.
In addition, you can buy ethereum through leading payment apps Venmo and PayPal. Finally, ethereum can be bought directly by searching for a physical cryptocurrency ATM that sells ether.
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.
Ethereum is extremely volatile, much like other cryptocurrencies. Predicting whether it will go up or down is difficult. While ETH has performed well since its inception, there’s no guarantee that performance will continue. Investors should be ready for big swings and the potential for big losses.
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