Ether, the native token of the Ethereum blockchain and the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, climbed above $4,000 on Friday, its highest level in eight months and the first time it has traded at that threshold since December 2024. The token recently changed hands near $4,020, rising more than 2% intraday and briefly topping a 4% gain on some trading venues. The surge lifts Ethereum’s market capitalisation to about $470 billion, though the price remains below the November 2021 record of almost $4,878. The advance is part of a broader rally in digital assets that has also seen Bitcoin trade close to $116,900 and Solana around $178. Traders pointed to renewed risk appetite, expectations for forthcoming stable-coin rules and continued corporate interest in building layer-2 networks on Ethereum as factors supporting the move.