The 5 Best Performing Cryptocurrencies of 2017

Equities may have skyrocketed last year but cryptocurrencies? Those things were on a whole different level.

Some digital currencies performed better than most, however, and here are five of the absolute best, according to Quartz:

Dash, 9,265% – Formerly known as “Darkcoin,” the increasingly-popular Dash edged out Ethereum’s 9,162% gain to take the fifth spot on our list this year.

Stellar, 14,441% – Lesser known Stellar proved to be stellar indeed as holders enjoyed a whopping 14,441% gain last year.

Ardor, 16,809% – Ardor, another of the lesser-known cryptocurrencies, surged an immense 16,809% last year, 300% of which came only in December.

NEM, 29,842% – Taking the number two spot this year is NEM, one of the younger cryptocurrencies on the list. It skyrocketed nearly 30,000% last year.

Ripple, 36,018% – Blowing past everyone else meanwhile is Ripple. After trading quietly for most of the year, a rapid surge near the end of 2017 helped it surpass Ethereum as the second largest cryptocurrency in the world after Bitcoin. It now enjoys a market cap of $86 billion.

What about Bitcoin? Despite being the most talked about digital currency last year, Bitcoin only managed to rise 1,000%, an incredibly modest performance compared to its peers. Contrasted to the S&P’s 19.4% return however, Bitcoin isn’t too bad.

Photo: iStock