Trading volume surged 76% above the weekly average, indicating significant distribution rather than retail activity.

The move—paired with a 15% open-interest drop—keeps pressure on bulls ahead of a looming death-cross setup and a key $2.20 support retest.

The Federal Reserve’s 25-basis-point cut last week was widely expected, but Chair Jerome Powell’s restrained tone dampened risk appetite after he hinted that December’s cut isn’t guaranteed.

Long traders accounted for nearly 90% of the liquidations, with $1.14 billion in bullish bets erased.

Analysts suggest stabilization above $0.165 is crucial for recovery, with a daily close above $0.18 needed to counter bearish momentum.

The move reflected cautious accumulation rather than broad conviction, as trading volumes remained below trend despite multiple volatility spikes during the session.

The deal is indicative of how miners’ once-volatile hardware fleets are increasingly viewed as strategic compute assets, bridging the gap between blockchain and AI.

Analysts warn that sustained trading below $0.18 could lead to a drop toward $0.07, while defending this level might spark a recovery.

The pause allows developers to roll out an emergency hard fork aimed at isolating compromised contracts and recovering affected assets before resuming operations.

The affected funds include 6,850 osETH, 6,590 WETH, and 4,260 wstETH, blockchain data analyzed by CoinDesk showed.

Meanwhile, bitcoin selling by long-term investors has tripled since June, as buyers who entered near $93,000 take profits.

The decline came amid a deteriorating technical backdrop and increased selling activity across large wallets.

Traders are closely monitoring the $2.49 support level, as sustained closes below could lead to further declines.

ASTER is a rebranded derivative platform token with a max supply of 8 billion, focusing on community incentives and decentralized exchange features.