HYPE Dips 5% Amid Token Transfers; Light & Aster Competition

Hyperliquid’s token HYPE fell 5% in the past 24 hours, dropping more than the broader crypto market, which slipped only 1.32%. The decline continues a 30-day downtrend of nearly 17%, showing that the token has been facing steady pressure for weeks. The main factors that drove the latest slide are a large token transfer that sparked supply concerns, new competition from trading platform Lighter, rival project Aster gaining attention with a major token burn and an ambitious roadmap for 2026 and ongoing technical weakness in the charts.

Large Token Transfer

On December 5, Hyperliquid Strategies moved 12 million HYPE tokens, which is about 3.5% of the circulating supply and worth about $411M, to Hypercore. According to Wu Blockchain, this movement was part of a restructuring process. But in the short term, such large transfers often worry traders because they can signal possible selling ahead.

Even though 425,000 of those tokens, worth around $14.5M, were later staked into 3 wallets, the initial reaction was negative. Traders typically assume that when large amounts of tokens move, they might enter the open market. That expectation alone can push prices lower, even before any actual selling happens.

Still, the staking activity shows that not all of the transferred tokens are being prepared for sale. This could help reduce some of the fear. For now, the key thing to watch is whether Hypercore continues staking or uses more of the tokens in other ways.

Lighter’s Spot Trading Launch

HYPE faced additional pressure after Lighter, a trading rival, launched its new spot trading service on December 4. Lighter started with ETH spot trading but plans to expand further. The timing matters because Lighter already overtook Hyperliquid in perpetual trading volume earlier this quarter.

With the new spot feature, Lighter is now going after the same users who contribute to Hyperliquid’s $1.5 billion to $3 billion in weekly spot trading volume. Lighter’s zero-fee model and strong funding $68 million at a $1.5 billion valuation make it a serious competitor. If Lighter keeps growing, it could split liquidity between platforms, reducing trading activity on Hyperliquid.

Aster’s Token Burn

While HYPE is having a hard time, its rival Aster is getting stronger. As part of its buyback program, Aster recently did a big token burn that permanently took about 77.8 million ASTER tokens out of circulation. People often get excited about token burns because they lower the supply and can raise the value over time.

Alongside the burn, Aster also revealed its detailed roadmap for early 2026. Highlights include Shield Mode for private high-leverage trading, a major upgrade to stock-based perpetual markets, the launch of Aster Chain testnet in December, Aster Chain mainnet in Q1 2026 and new staking, governance, and tools for traders in Q2 2026. These updates have strengthened Aster’s public image at a time when Hyperliquid is facing uncertainty.

Technical Breakdown

Market charts reveal another angle behind the decline: HYPE has been trading below important moving averages for weeks. It is now below both the 30-day average of $36.61 and the 200-day average of $41.57. A lot of traders see this as a sign that things are still weak.

The RSI level near 44 is neutral but leaning bearish, which means that there isn’t a lot of buying interest in the market. HYPE is also close to a key price point at $34.28. If it breaks below this point, traders believe it could fall toward the next support around $32.31. At the time of writing, HYPE is trading at around $33.49.

Conclusion

HYPE’s 5% drop comes from a combination of internal and external pressures. Token movements made people worried about the supply, new competition is taking users away, and technical indicators are pointing down.

The next important question is whether HYPE can stay above the $34.28 support level or if events coming up, like a big token unlock on December 29, will make things even harder.

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