Ether spikes 10% to its highest level in 6 months as BlackRock files for a spot ETF backed by the crypto

• Ether jumped 10% to a six-month high before paring some of those gains on Friday. 
• BlackRock, the $8.5 trillion asset manager, filed for a spot ether ETF on the Nasdaq exchange.
• On Thursday, reports emerged BlackRock had registered the corporate entity "iShares Ethereum Trust."

Ether, the world's second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, surged as much as 10% to hit a six-month high before paring some of its gains Friday.

The ethereum-based token hovered at $2,076 around 9:00 a.m. in New York, up about 2.5%. Over the past five days, it has gained 10.5%, putting its monthly advance at 33.4%.