Aster slightly recovers after Perp DEX announces roadmap for infrastructure, utilities, and ecosystem development

Aster (ASTER) is consolidating around the $1.05 level at the time of writing on Friday, reflecting the overall gloomy sentiment in the crypto market. The native token of the decentralized exchange (DEX) specializing in perpetual contracts previously rebounded from the $0.88 bottom set on Monday, but the recovery momentum quickly faded and was halted as it approached the $1.08 region on Wednesday.

Aster targets Layer-1 blockchain and staking launch in 2026

Aster just announced a new development roadmap on Thursday, focusing on building the protocol’s “core engines,” including technical infrastructure, token utility, ecosystem, and community. According to the roadmap document, Aster is gradually transforming from a simple trading platform into a core infrastructure layer for Decentralized Finance (DeFi).

In December, the network is expected to launch a series of key products, most notably Shield Mode—a feature that enables private trading with high leverage; Strategy Order—a tool utilizing the Time-Weighted Average Price (TWAP) mechanism to reduce slippage; and an upgrade for Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization, expanding the range of supported assets and increasing liquidity depth.

Moving into Q1/2026, Aster will launch its Layer-1 mainnet and Aster Code—a toolkit designed to help developers build the ecosystem. During this phase, the platform also plans to roll out on-ramp and off-ramp services through partnerships with third parties.

By Q2, Aster Staking will officially go live, followed by Aster Governance—a governance mechanism aimed at fostering ecosystem growth and ensuring long-term sustainability. The Aster Smart Money feature will also launch in the same quarter, allowing users to track and copy trades of top investors in real time.

However, despite announcing this ambitious roadmap, individual investor interest in ASTER remains rather modest. This is reflected in the Open Interest (OI) metric in the derivatives market, which only averaged $495,000 on Friday—a sharp drop from the $1.19 million peak recorded on October 10.

ASTER Open Interest (OI) | Source: CoinGlass## Technical outlook: Aster weakens as selling pressure rises

Aster is under corrective pressure, slipping below the exponential moving averages (EMA) on the 4-hour timeframe, including the 50-period EMA at $1.06, 100-period EMA at $1.09, and 200-period EMA at $1.14. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently anchored around the 50 mark—the neutral zone—but the weakening trend suggests a high likelihood of closing in the negative zone. Notably, the RSI nearing the oversold territory reflects increasing bearish momentum.

Meanwhile, the MACD indicator on the same timeframe, although still above the moving average line, has started to show clear signs of weakening. If buying pressure does not return soon to reinforce the uptrend, the MACD is likely to confirm a sell signal in upcoming sessions.

ASTER/USDT 4-hour chart | Source: TradingViewTraders are currently closely watching for the MACD (blue) line to cross below the signal (red) line—a confirmation signal for the bearish scenario. If the price breaks below the key psychological level of $1.00, Aster risks being pulled back to retest the $0.88 bottom set earlier this week.

Conversely, a successful breakout above the 50-period EMA at $1.06 will help maintain the recovery outlook. The next key technical resistance levels to watch are the 100-period EMA at $1.09 and the 200-period EMA at $1.14, which may serve as major barriers to further price increases.

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