Recently, the crypto community has been buzzing about ASTER everywhere, and its popularity has reached its peak. Strangely enough, however, the price remains completely stagnant. The more abnormal this situation is, the more it indicates that the project is stuck at a critical juncture. Let’s analyze it from several angles—core logic, current situation, potential pitfalls, and future prospects.

Why did ASTER suddenly become so popular? Basically, it hit two hot spots: DEX and the L3 track. These two concepts are indeed eye-catching right now. Plus, a prominent exchange leader publicly endorsed it, causing its popularity to jump straight to the top tier of the community. The main reasons everyone is chasing it are—fresh narrative, strong topics, backing from big players, and rapid ecosystem expansion. But we need to wake up here: high popularity and large price increases are not the same thing, and this must be understood clearly.

High popularity but no price growth—there are three main reasons:

**Chip structure issues are the most painful.** When the project launched, the circulating supply was already substantial, and then airdrops, node rewards, and the project team’s gradual unlocks followed. As a result, the chips above are piled up high, making it extremely costly for major players to push the price up. Smart market makers wouldn’t rush to aggressively pump at this point; instead, they choose to slowly absorb and gradually digest the floating chips.

**Unlock pressure is like a sword hanging overhead.** As long as there are large unlocks expected, retail investors won’t dare to chase high, and major players don’t want to take over at this moment. Those trapped want to unlock their positions, but the market makers won’t give them that chance. This leads to a natural sideways consolidation.

**Buyback efforts are too mild.** The project team does have buyback plans, but the scale is really limited. Facing such a heavy supply, the effect is minimal and cannot change the overall situation.

What’s next? Objectively speaking, this is a typical bottom accumulation and sideways consolidation pattern. The key support levels haven’t been broken, trading volume is sluggish, and signs of major players controlling and consolidating the market are very clear. Chips need time to digest, unlocks need to be gradually worn down, and how long the sideways phase lasts depends on the project team’s rhythm and the overall market sentiment.

Currently, sentiment has not yet turned negative. In fact, as long as two of these three conditions are met—slowing unlocks, sufficient chips, and a supportive overall market—the trend is highly likely to start. When that happens, the price could surge sharply.

**In summary:** ASTER has popularity, background, and imagination space—these are all real. But right now, chips and unlock pressures are holding it down tightly. The main players are gradually eroding the floating and easily escapable chips through sideways consolidation. This type of project tends to be like this—rising fiercely when it moves, but grinding people down during accumulation. Currently, it’s in the bottom-building phase.

**Final judgment:** The project itself is fine; the issue is timing. Only when accumulation is complete, unlock pressure eases, and the overall market cooperates will there be a real ignition opportunity. For now, it’s a game of chips, not sentiment. Don’t expect clear upward signals before the market shows signs of a breakout, and avoid rushing in prematurely.