Overview
- CZ disclosed he bought 2,090,598 ASTER on Binance with his own funds, calling it a buy-and-hold move.
- ASTER jumped more than 30% to about $1.26 as 24-hour volume surged from roughly $224 million to over $2 billion and market cap climbed past $2.5 billion.
- Large traders quickly bet against the move, including a 42.97 million ASTER short worth about $52.8 million with a ~$2.09 liquidation level, plus another short near $19 million.
- The surge faded and ASTER fell more than 20%, dipping back below $0.90, leaving an ‘Anti‑CZ Whale’ with over $21 million in unrealized gains and near $100 million across multiple shorts.
- Scrutiny of Aster’s self-reported perp volumes persisted after a brief DefiLlama delisting, and TVL has declined, underscoring fragile liquidity and market structure risks.