For the first time in more than a year, the price of the world's leading digital currency Bitcoin has shot passed the $10,000 mark. The cryptocurrency has been steadily increasing in price during a rally that has now lasted 3 months.

During the first 4 months of 2019, the price of Bitcoin stagnated at prices that ranged anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000. But it is currently trading at a little more than $10,150 after rising more than 6.5% for the day.

The top alternative digital currencies have also been rallying. Ethereum, in particular, rose by nearly 9% and is trading close to $300. Ripple is also rallying, though other alternative currencies are seeing far more modest gains. This can be seen as an indication that the rally is focused on Bitcoin and its chief competitors instead of on the industry as a whole.

The Bitcoin rally has led some industry experts to predict that the currency could eventually surpass its all-time highs. Tom Lee, who is a co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, is one of these people. During a recent interview, Lee noted that Bitcoin is effectively becoming the reserve currency of the cryptocurrency world, which is an analogy to how some people see the U.S. dollar as being the reserve currency of the world.

Lee, during the same interview, said that Facebook's recent launch of its Libra digital currency is proof that the mainstream business world is finally taking cryptocurrencies seriously. He further says that the Bitcoin rally is proof that there is more to the value of cryptocurrencies than the blockchain technology that underlies it.

Finally, Lee added that he believes that the so-called "cryptocurrency winter" is firmly over.

In another sign that interest in Bitcoins is skyrocketing, it is being reported that the Bitcoin hash rate has risen to all-time highs. The hash rate represents all the computation power in the Bitcoin network, and many see this value as a gauge of how many people are interested in mining the currency.