While 2017 was a big year for cryptocurrencies, Ripple seems to haveflown under the radar to a certain extent. Certainly, the digital currency has its share of investors and enthusiasts. As of this writing, with a global market cap of more than $43 billion (according to coinmarketcap.com), it remains the fourth-largest virtual currency in the world.
Earlier in December, it surged in price over a single day so much that it briefly surpassed bitcoin cash to claim the No. 3 spot according to market cap. (See more: Ripple Briefly Topped Bitcoin Cash To Be 3rd Largest Cryptocurrency.) But while bitcoin has repeatedly set new price records throughout the year, XRP has seen massive growth primarily toward the end of the year.
Ripple has been in existence for several years, but the beginning of 2017 saw the cryptocurrency floating at a low rate per token. (See also: Ripple Is Back: Here's Why.) As of January 1, one Ripple token could be purchased for a meager $0.0063, according to coingecko.com.
The price of XRP didn't really take off until midway through the year; after a brief jump to just over $0.02 per token in late March, the currency made rapid gains throughout late April and early May.
XRP reached a local high point on May 16, 2017, when it topped out at just over $0.40 per token. As is common for cryptocurrencies that have just reached new record prices, Ripple fell from that apex in the days to follow. However, it settled at a significantly higher price point than it had been earlier in the year. From late May through early December, the currency hovered in the vicinity of $0.20 per token. Of course, within this period, there were numerous peaks and valleys, but XRP did not return to its previous high during that time.
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