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ASTER sank to a new all-time low in the past 24 hours, reaching $0.62. The perpetual futures DEX token is now over 28% down since its launch and around 75% below its all-time high. 
ASTER tokens trading at a new all-time low triggered the team to launch a Strategic Buyback mechanism. The buyback is part of Aster’s tokenomics in case of deeper token drawdowns. 
Aster will deploy its Strategic Buyback Reserve to start automatic ASTER repurchases. The trades are part of the Stage 5 buyback program, which takes into account different pricing scenarios. 
The current Strategic Buyback allocation will return 20% to 40% of daily platform fees into targeted buybacks, responsive to price action. 
Aster announced that some of the repurchases have been completed through its reserve wallet. The Treasury is already swapping BNB for Aster and increasing its balance. 
ASTER moves into ‘sell’ zone
ASTER has moved into the ‘sell’ zone based on its current sentiment. The token has not recovered from the all-time lows even hours after the buyback news. As a token linked to a perpetual DEX, ASTER expected an effect similar to HYPE. However, even with buybacks, ASTER saw significant selling pressure, leading to unraveling over the past three months. 
ASTER is not the only perpetual DEX token to slide. HYPE is also under $24, with sell indicators flashing. As the market slowed down again, the previously hot tokens are responding with a deeper downturn. 
Open interest also crashed for ASTER, down to $215M near an all-time low. Only around 25% of positions are short, meaning ASTER may not hope for a short squeeze. The recent downturn also came with relatively smaller volumes of around $283M in the past 24 hours, within the token’s usual range.
Why is ASTER sliding? 
The current ASTER buybacks are not destroying the supply. The tokens are merely held in the treasury, with a decision to be taken in the future about the final supply. The Aster community is also calling to burn the tokens and potentially salvage the asset through scarcity. 
ASTER did not immediately react to the buybacks, as the price is weighed down by an even bigger unlock coming in February. | Source: CoinGecko.
One of the major factors for the ASTER price weakness is the upcoming unlock in February. A total of 96M tokens will flow into the market in February, as Aster enters a stage of regular unlocks. The upcoming unlock is expected to trigger even bigger selling, which may not be entirely offset by the buybacks. 
More ASTER will enter the market each quarter until 2035, potentially freeing up whale wallets to sell. ASTER has traditionally dropped even lower during airdrop periods, which trigger large-scale selling of the available supply.
The Aster DEX is also still trying to outcompete Hyperliquid and Lighter, which retain high trading volumes. The high leverage on Aster makes the exchange riskier. Despite the expectations of a slide, traders are even reluctant to open short positions, as the volatile token can also rally unexpectedly and cause liquidations.
ASTER may attract some traders into buying the dip. However, the token remains risky and volatile, recently dipping as low as $0.53 during extreme trading. In the short term, ASTER is reacting with significant dips as whales realize profits. 
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According to BlockBeats, Garrett Jin, an agent for the 'BTC OG Insider Whale,' recently shared insights on social media, addressing comparisons between the current Bitcoin price trends and those of 2022. While some short-term price patterns may appear similar, Jin argues that such comparisons are unfounded when considering the long-term picture.
Jin explains that the macroeconomic environment now is vastly different from that of 2022. At the beginning of 2022, the primary focus of capital was risk aversion, with Bitcoin exhibiting a distribution pattern typical of a tightening cycle. Currently, the U.S. liquidity index has broken through both short-term and long-term downtrend lines, indicating the emergence of a new upward trend.
During 2021–2022, Bitcoin displayed a weekly M-top structure, often associated with long-term cycle peaks that suppress prices for extended periods. Presently, Bitcoin is breaking out of a weekly ascending channel. From a probabilistic standpoint, the current situation resembles a bear trap before a rebound to the channel. Although a bear market cannot be entirely ruled out, it is important to note that the $80,850/$62,000 range has undergone significant consolidation and turnover. This previous digestion of positions offers a better risk-reward ratio for bullish positions, with upward potential outweighing downside risks.
For a bear market to resume, new inflation shocks or geopolitical crises on the scale of 2022 would be necessary, along with central banks resuming rate hikes or quantitative tightening of balance sheets. Additionally, a decisive and sustained drop below $80,850 would be required. Until these conditions are met, declaring a structural bear market is premature and more speculative than analytical.
The most significant difference between Bitcoin investors now (early 2026) and in 2022 is the shift from retail-driven, high-leverage speculation to institutionally driven, structurally long-term holdings. In 2022, Bitcoin experienced a typical 'crypto-native bear market' driven by retail panic selling and cascading leverage liquidations. Today, Bitcoin has entered a more mature institutional era, characterized by stable underlying demand, locked supply, and institutional-level volatility.
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