Let's say that NEM muscles it's way back up to it's previous high of $115 million market cap, NEM value $0.01, and it would be at #5 marketcap.
Now let's say that NEM pushes it's way up to 3rd place, with a cap of $240 million. NEM value, $0.02.
Now NEM moves up to 2nd place, and manages a 1 Billion dollar market cap like ether had. NEM value, $0.11
It's gonna take a tremendous amount of time and new money into crypto for that to happen, because the others in the top 10 will most likely still be there.
Well, based on your questions, I looked into some market cap numbers. The total market cap of all crypto's doubled the last year, from 7 billion to 14 billion.
I couldn't hesitate to make some assumptions ... Let's assume this market cap would double again in 2017 to 28 billion.
What percentage of that inflow of new capital should be flowing into nem to get to the market caps you mentioned within the timeframe of the same year. That is not a tremendous amount of time, you would have to agree.
To get to 115 million: 0,6%
To get to 240 million: 1,5%
To get to 1 billion: 7%
Now and that's is only based on the new capital, not on the exisiting capital. So this is when the 7 billion of today's market cap would not even shift at all, and as you suggest would still be there.
Disclaimer: this is pure speculation.
Two weeks ago the total market cap was 14 billion. Today it rose above 20 billion and the year just begun. Impressive.
Only legislation can stop this.