Ethereum, the largest altcoin, has surpassed the $4,000 level for the first time at 3:12 a.m. UTC on the Bitstamp exchange.
Ether is up 463 percent the year-to-date.
Earlier today, CME Group's futures contracts tied to Ethereum triggered a "limit up" halt before opening with a $400 gap.
The Chicago-based futures exchange rolled out the product on Feb. 8 when ETH was trading at $1,750.
Bitcoin remains the laggard
Meanwhile, Bitcoin continues to languish, struggling to hit the $60,000 level. Its market dominance has dropped to just 44.4 percent, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Other top altcoins (save for Dogecoin) are outperforming Bitcoin as well.
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