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Aster struggles as selling pressure intensifies and bearish signals dominate market structure.
Whale exits created strong ripple effects across ASTER’s short-term direction, with the latest selloff amplifying bearish momentum. 

On the 17th of December, an address offloaded 3M ASTER worth $2.33M, locking in a $667K loss — this signals deeper concerns among large holders. 
The move occurred only two weeks after accumulation around $0.78, showing how quickly sentiment flipped. 
This breakdown aligned with weakening demand as price extended its decline below previous support levels. The market responded with heightened caution as sell-side flows accelerated. 
Ultimately, this whale exit strengthens downside expectations while raising doubts about a near-term reversal attempt.
Is ASTER headed toward the $0.6 zone?
Aster [ASTER] continued to slide within a clearly defined descending channel, and this structure reflected sustained bearish control. 
Price traded near $0.76 at press time, sitting below the 1.618 Fib at $0.836. Sellers can now focus on the deeper targets at $0.741, $0.646, and $0.588. 
The MACD remained negative as the signal line stayed above the MACD line. 
Buyers may attempt minor reactions near $0.646, although limited momentum caps recovery potential. The descending channel’s resistance rejected every upside attempt, extending the broader downturn. 
The current technical setup implies continued pressure until buyers reclaim higher trend levels.

Open Interest slips as confidence weakens
Open Interest dropped 3.92% to $420.8M at press time, reflecting reduced trader willingness to maintain exposure during elevated downside risk. 
The contraction follows the whale exit and aligns with shrinking demand across leverage markets. 
Declining OI often confirms that traders are unwinding their positions instead of accumulating into weakness. However, it also reduces the probability of sharp liquidation spikes, limiting forced volatility. 
So, traders need clearer directional signals before reentering aggressively. 
Fading Open Interest also supports the broader bearish narrative and reinforces expectations of further downside pressure in the near term.
Shorts dominate as sentiment flips bearish
The Long/Short Ratio strengthened the bearish trend after shorts climbed to 58.35%, leaving longs at 41.65% at the time of writing. 
However, such extreme positioning occasionally enables brief corrective rebounds, especially if shorts become overcrowded. 
Traders continued reacting to the price rejecting the channel resistance, strengthening the bearish conviction. 
The shift toward short-side control reinforces downward momentum and lowers the likelihood of an immediate trend recovery.
Liquidations tilt heavily against long traders
Liquidation metrics reveal stronger pain on the long side, with $48.57K in long liquidations compared to only $3.65K in short liquidations.
This imbalance signals weak confidence among leveraged buyers as the market moves lower. 
Frequent long-side flushes reflect attempts to buy dips with limited conviction. However, smaller short liquidations suggest controlled downside movement without excessive volatility spikes. 
The market absorbs selling pressure smoothly as leverage resets deeper into bearish territory. Liquidation trends reinforce downside extensions and align with the technical signal pointing toward sub-$0.7 targets
In summary, ASTER’s short-term outlook remains bearish as whale exits, declining OI, rising short dominance, and liquidation trends all point toward continued downside. 
Besides, the descending channel and Fibonacci breakdowns support a potential move toward $0.646–$0.588 before any meaningful recovery can emerge. 
While temporary rebounds may occur, the overall structure favors sellers until buyers reclaim lost levels. 
Consequently, ASTER appears positioned for further pressure unless market dynamics shift decisively in favor of accumulation.

Despite significant strides in institutional adoption and ecosystem growth, Solana (SOL) continues to grapple with broader market volatility. While new exchange listings and steady ETF inflows signal long-term confidence, the asset’s price action remains tethered to Bitcoin’s recent struggles.
Brazil’s B3 Exchange Welcomes Valour Solana (VSOL)
In a major move for Latin American markets, Valour received approval to list its Solana ETP (VSOL) on Brazil’s B3 exchange on December 16th. This listing provides Brazilian investors with regulated, BRL-denominated access to Solana through familiar brokerage and custody channels.
By joining the likes of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Sui on the B3, Solana has significantly boosted its visibility among institutional players looking for diversified crypto exposure in emerging markets.
ETF Inflows vs. Stagnant Price Action
On-chain data reveals a growing divergence between institutional interest and market price:
Steady Inflows: According to SoSoValue, Solana Spot ETFs are maintaining momentum, with daily net inflows hovering around $3.64 million and total net assets nearing $926 million.
Exchange Outflows: Simultaneously, SOL supply on exchanges continues to drop. This suggests that investors are moving assets into cold storage—a classic sign of long-term accumulation rather than short-term speculation.
Despite these bullish fundamentals, SOL remains stuck in a consolidation phase, trading within a tight $122–$145 range.
Technical Outlook: Navigating the "Sideways" Trap
The technical indicators suggest a "wait-and-see" approach from the market:
RSI & MACD: With an RSI of 44.03, demand remains below the neutral threshold. The MACD is currently compressed, indicating that while bearish momentum is slowing, a reversal has not yet taken hold.
Liquidity Risks: Data from the Binance Liquidation Heatmap shows a high concentration of liquidity near $123. If Bitcoin faces another dip, SOL could see a "sweep" of this level, potentially sliding toward the $95 support zone.
The Path to Recovery
For a bullish trend to ignite, Solana must decisively break above the $145 resistance. A successful breach of this level could pave the way toward $170, with the ultimate goal of reclaiming the $200 supply zone.
While Solana’s infrastructure and institutional reach are expanding rapidly, its immediate price trajectory remains dependent on a stabilization in global risk sentiment and a recovery in Bitcoin’s price.

​If you’re looking at the charts right now, the mood seems heavy—but I believe there’s a much more nuanced story playing out beneath the surface. As we head toward 2026, we are seeing a massive divergence in the market that most people are misinterpreting as pure bearishness.
​The "Squeeze" is Real
​On the surface, it’s a "risk-off" environment. Since the October crash, Bitcoin hasn’t been able to reclaim its previous highs. The most telling stat for me is the supply in profit: it has plummeted from a staggering 98% before the sell-off to just 63% today.
​When you see the Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) sitting deep in the red, it looks like a classic capitulation. But here is where it gets interesting: this isn't a panic; it’s a structural shakeout.
​The China Factor: Forced to Sell
​The real pressure isn't coming from retail fear—it’s coming from hardware being pulled off the wall. China has tightened the screws again, specifically in Xinjiang, shutting down roughly 1.3 GW of mining capacity.
​Here’s the breakdown of that impact:
​400,000 mining rigs have gone dark.
​The global hashrate dropped by 8% (falling from 1.12 billion TH/s to 1.07 billion TH/s) in just one week.
​With China still commanding about 14% of the global hashpower, miners are being forced to liquidate BTC just to cover the costs of relocating or shutting down.
​We can see this reflected in the data: Asian exchanges are showing consistent net spot selling, and even some Long-Term Holders (LTHs) are trimming their positions to manage the volatility.
​The Great Divergence: East vs. West
​While Asia is selling out of necessity, the U.S. is buying with conviction. Just recently, U.S. Spot BTC ETFs recorded a massive $457 million inflow in a single day. We are witnessing a historic hand-off. Bitcoin is moving from forced sellers (miners and Asian desks) into the hands of institutional "strong hands" in the West.
​Looking Toward 2026
​I don't see this as a fear-driven capitulation. To me, this looks like a "Healthy Reset." Yes, miner margins are squeezed, and the lower hashrate might cap our momentum in the short term. However, the fact that institutions are absorbing hundreds of millions of dollars in sell pressure tells me the floor is much firmer than it looks.
​As we move into 2026, the "forced selling" from China will eventually dry up. When that happens, the supply shock meeting this institutional demand could create a very powerful move upward.

How much the XRP price could rise if every bank in Japan started leveraging the token’s bridge capability for banking operations.
Today, XRP trades around the $2 level, but most market participants argue that this price does not yet reflect the crypto asset’s long-term utility. They believe broader adoption could lead to higher valuations, especially if major financial institutions adopt XRP.
One market that could make a difference for XRP is the Japanese financial scene, where Ripple and XRP have built longstanding ties to the banking and payments sector.
Japan’s Large Banking Industry
Notably, Japan operates one of the world’s largest banking industries by total assets. The sector revolves around three dominant megabanks, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, and Mizuho Financial Group, alongside a wide network of regional banks, shinkin cooperative banks, and other financial institutions. 
According to the latest comprehensive data from the Bank of Japan, domestically licensed banks held approximately 1,447 trillion yen in total assets as of the end of November 2024, equivalent to about $9.65 trillion. 
Meanwhile, by February 2025, total deposits across all financial institutions reached around 1,047 trillion yen, or $6.98 trillion, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.4%. 

However, growth slowed later in the year, with estimates suggesting deposits rose to between 1,060 and 1,070 trillion yen by November 2025, reflecting annual growth of about 1.5%. Ordinary deposits accounted for about 650 trillion yen, while time deposits stood near 225 trillion yen as of late February 2025.
Notably, loan-to-deposit ratios in August 2025 ranged from about 40% to 50% for major banks, 50% to 60% for regional lenders, and 60% to 70% for shinkin banks. Securities holdings reached roughly 300 to 350 trillion yen by the end of August 2025, making up about 40% of total assets. 
Interestingly, the country hosts around 100 city and regional banks, roughly 250 shinkin banks, and about 13,500 domestic branches as of September 2024. Collectively, Japanese banks control close to 10% of global banking assets.

XRP Price if All Japanese Banks Use It
Given this scale, widespread use of XRP as a bridge asset for settlements could materially affect its price. To assess how much this impact could be, we asked Google Gemini to estimate how high XRP might trade under an aggressive adoption scenario.
In response, Google Gemini put XRP’s current market cap near $120 billion, considering the $2 price. The chatbot then compared this valuation to the $9.65 trillion in assets held by Japanese banks and assumed, for modeling purposes, that XRP’s market cap could grow to 10% of that asset base. 
Under this assumption, XRP’s market value would rise to about $965 billion. Dividing that figure by the circulating supply produces a hypothetical price of roughly $16.08 per XRP, representing an increase of about 800% from current levels. 
XRP Price Prediction | Google Gemini
Gemini admitted that this scenario remains extreme because settlement assets typically do not mirror balance sheet totals, and XRP would primarily support liquidity and transaction flows rather than represent bank assets directly.
XRP Already Establishing Relationships in Japan
Importantly, XRP has already begun establishing relationships with Japanese financial institutions. In 2016, Ripple partnered with SBI Holdings to form SBI Ripple Asia, a joint venture designed to promote Ripple’s enterprise payment solutions across Asia, including Japan. 
That same year, SBI Holdings invested in Ripple’s $55 million Series B funding round, alongside other global banks, helping expand Ripple’s footprint in the region. Mizuho Financial Group also joined Ripple’s network during this period.
By 2017, SBI Ripple Asia launched the Japan Bank Consortium, bringing together 61 Japanese banks that represented more than 80% of the country’s banking assets. Pilot programs using Ripple’s RC Cloud platform enabled real-time settlements for dozens of banks and laid the groundwork for future XRP liquidity use cases. 
In 2018, SBI introduced VCTRADE, Japan’s first bank-backed crypto exchange, with XRP as its initial focus. By 2021, SBI Remit rolled out Japan’s first XRP-powered international remittance service, using Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity to facilitate faster and cheaper transfers in corridors such as Japan to the Philippines.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. #Xrp🔥🔥 #XRPPredictions #CryptoNews #CryptoMarketMoves