Ethereum is an open-source, public, blockchain-based distributed computing platform featuring smart contract functionality. Ether is a cryptocurrency whose blockchain is generated by the Ethereum platform.
Exact price predictions are difficult to pinpoint, since the price of Ether can fall by as much as 25% in 24 hours, as it did more than once in December of 2017. However, Ether has been growing exponentially in recent months and looks set to continue that trajectory in 2018.
In broad terms, cryptocurrencies are still growing stronger every month. The value of Bitcoin has risen by 2,000% in the past year, and while Ethereum is still trailing behind Bitcoin as the second biggest cryptocurrency, it is beginning to catch up: Bitcoin has lost over 50% of its market share to Ethereum in the past four months. Some well-known hedge-fund managers have even predicted that the market cap of the Ether will overtake that of Bitcoin by the end of the year.