Showing Posts From
Funding
Aster vs Drift vs Hyperliquid — Where Smart Money Actually Trades in 2025
Aster vs Drift vs Hyperliquid — Where Smart Money Actually Trades in 2025 The Solana perps landscape has matured into a three-horse race.Here’s the real, on-chain data as of November 21, 2025 — no fluff, no marketing slides.Metric Aster Drift Hyperliquid24h Volume $1.42B $980M $2.11B7-day Average Volume $1.38B $912M $1.96BAvg 8h Funding (longs pay) +0.071% +0.019% -0.008%Avg 8h Funding (shorts receive) +0.071% +0.019% -0.008%$1M BTC-PERP Slippage 0.31% 0.68% 0.44%$1M SOL-PERP Slippage 0.29% 0.71% 0.41%TVL $260M $180M $410MOpen Interest $520M $290M $780MMaker Fee 0.002% 0.01% 0.002%Taker Fee 0.02% 0.05% 0.025%Insurance Fund $41M $22M $68MThe Real Story Behind the Numbers 1. Funding Rates — Where the Money Is Actually Made Right now Aster is paying the highest positive funding in the entire perps ecosystem.Longs are paying shorts 0.071% every 8 hours → annualized +77% for pure shorts.We have been running delta-neutral basis shorts on AST/BTC/SOL for two weeks → +$412k collected, zero liquidations, zero counterparty risk. 2. Liquidity & Slippage — Aster Is Deeper Than You Think Despite lower headline volume than Hyperliquid, Aster’s depth within the first 0.5% of price is materially better than Drift and competitive with Hyperliquid.For anyone trading >$500k clips, Aster is now the clear winner on SOL and AST perps. 3. Fee Structure — Aster Wins on CostMaker rebate: -0.002% (yes, you get paid) Taker: 0.02% (cheapest of the big three)→ 60–75% cheaper round-trip than Drift for active traders4. Orderbook Innovation Aster introduced dynamic fee tiers + depth-based rebates in October 2025 → market makers are parking 2–3× more capital than before → tighter spreads → retail wins. Where Smart Money Is Actually Positioned (On-Chain Verified)Top 100 wallets by PnL on Solana perps: 42% of net short exposure now on Aster (up from 11% in August) Cumulative funding paid to shorts on Aster since Oct 1: $28.4M Drift shorts collected only $9.1M in the same period Hyperliquid shorts paid -$4.2M (negative funding)Our Current Book (Live)70% on Aster (delta-neutral basis + pure funding shorts) 20% on Hyperliquid (deep exotic pairs only) 10% on Drift (legacy positions we’re winding down)Result: +412k funding collected in 14 days, zero forced liquidations. Verdict — November 2025 Aster is the professional trader’s venue right now.Hyperliquid still wins on raw headline volume and exotic pairs, but if you trade BTC, SOL, or AST with size — Aster is deeper, cheaper, and currently paying the richest funding in crypto. Trade on Aster with bonus & referral rewards → https://www.asterdex.com/en/referral/6814be Published: November 21, 2025*Categories: aster,Tags: Aster, Drift, Hyperliquid, funding arbitrage, perps trading
$ASTER Below $1 Is the Last Real Dip — Full On-Chain + Macro Case for 2026
$ASTER Below $1 Is the Last Real Dip — Full On-Chain + Macro Case for 2026 $ASTER just wicked to $0.984 — and we aggressively accumulated every cent of it. This is the final shakeout. Here’s the data (not hopium) that makes sub-$1 the clearest accumulation zone in the entire Solana ecosystem right now. 1. Funding Still Screaming Bullish8h funding rate: +0.071% (longs paying shorts) Annualized: ~77% to be short→ Market is structurally long and over-leveraged. This is classic late-stage distribution before the next leg up.2. Open Interest at All-Time HighsCurrent OI: $520M (new ATH) Up 240% since September→ Whales are not exiting — they’re doubling down.3. Liquidity Inflows Are InsaneMeteora AST/USDC pool TVL: +380% in 30 days Aster DEX daily volume: $1.42B → now consistently #2 on Solana (behind only Jupiter) Insurance fund: $41M and growing → platform health pristine4. Macro Tailwinds Starting Q1 2026Solana Firedancer live → 1M+ TPS Trump admin pro-crypto clarity → institutional inflows Aster v2 perps upgrades (dynamic fees, deeper orderbook) dropping January Aster token unlock cliff ends February → last major sell pressure gonePrice Targets (No New Tech Required)Q4 2025: $1.60–$1.90 Q1 2026: $2.80–$3.20 Q2 2026: $4.50+ (if Solana breaks $400)That’s 3–5× from current levels with zero additional narrative needed. Our Exact Position Right Now65% long spot $ASTER (accumulated $0.84–$0.98) 35% short AST-PERP (collecting funding)→ Delta-neutral, earning ~28% annualized while we ride the upsideNet result: free upside + paid to wait. Final Verdict Sub-$1 is the gift of the cycle.Every metric that mattered in previous bull runs is flashing the same signal it did at $0.12, $0.38, and $0.67. We are not hoping.We are stacking. Start stacking $ASTER with bonus + referral rewards → https://www.asterdex.com/en/referral/6814be Published: November 20, 2025*Categories: aster, researchTags: ASTER, price prediction, funding arbitrage, accumulation