The recent rapid rise of Monero (over 250 USD) has many reasons:
- The most important reason is the fact that it is one of the most secure and anonymous alt coins.
- Secondly, Monero has been accepted as payment currency by many prominent internet platforms - particularly within the music industry. This acceptancy trend will further boost Monero’s rise.
- Thirdly, people are looking for new alternatives to Bitcoin. Some might even take some of their Bitcoin gains to reinvest in a diversified crypto pool.
What is your view? 
Don't forget that Monero uses the Cryptonote code instead of a Bitcoin clone. It's more secure and private by design from the ground up, not because someone added a layer to the Bitcoin code.
Thanks, true... I believe that Monero will scratch the 1.000 USD threshold in 2018.
I hope so. The more cryptos gain, the more government will want to seize control. The more governments meddle, the more people will want privacy. The more people want privacy, the more merit there is in Monero.