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Investors are putting their money on Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, to break its own milestone set three years ago.

This comes as Ether is taking the spotlight away from a record-breaking rally in Bitcoin, which has topped $100,000.

Bloomberg data shows US-listed Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) had a record-breaking $428 million daily inflow on Thursday.

The token has surpassed Bitcoin in performance, rising 61 per cent.

That is following Donald Trump's victory on November 5 which sparked a crypto surge due to hopes of more lenient regulations.

Among other signs that investors anticipate more gains, open interest in Ether futures contracts has surged to record levels on the CME Group's derivatives exchange.

Those positions in favour of Ether are far outpacing the rise in similar contracts for bitcoin.

Another factor working in favour of Ether is Trump's choice of Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Trump's SEC pick lifts Ether ETFs to record inflow.

One reason ETFs investing in the Ether hadn't taken off was that investors could not get any return from staking the token.

However, Atkins is on the advisory board of the crypto advocacy organisation Coin Alliance, so investors bet this will change.

Shortly after news of Atkins' nomination broke, the price of Bitcoin soared to a new record above $100,000 dollars.

Nick Forster, founder of crypto trading platform Derive.XYZ said, "Now that Bitcoin has hit $100,000, it appears that investors are seeking the next opportunity."

He added, "Ether is still well below its all-time highs from 2021, and investors are beginning to rotate down the crypto risk curve."