Ethereum is also back to #2 in coinmarketcap as you see, for sure it will increasing up again and lot of people always waiting for the pumping up in ethereum very important to hold and wait before it grow up faster.
Ethereun is not even matched to the ripple because ripple is only a security coin. Ripple is an overrated coin with no usefulness at all. Ethereum will be a suitable coin that will always in the second spot of CMC after bitcoin. Ether is not comparable with security coin like ripple.
All their competition is limited to the struggle for second place in terms of capitalization, more they have nothing in common, different tasks and functions, Ethereum even in 3rd place will remain the king of altcoins
I fully agree with you regarding the importance of etherium in the cryptocurrency market. The owners of the ethereum will still win and perhaps even more than the owners of the ripple. But nevertheless, I believe that, under certain circumstances, ethereum can take a leading position in the market and even bypass Bitcoin.