Crisis signs in the crypto market: These six tokens shape the trading week

The cryptocurrency market is currently experiencing turbulent times. Bitcoin has significantly missed its October high of $126,200 and is currently trading at $93,020 with a 24-hour decline of 2.22 percent. XRP shows an even weaker picture, losing 39.81 percent in value over the past year. In this volatile environment, six promising crypto assets are coming into focus: Starknet, Sei, Aster, Zebec Network, Cronos, and Pudgy Penguins.

The Top Performers and Their Challenges

Starknet: Massive Unlocks Are Coming

Starknet is shaping the current market discussion with enormous transaction volumes. The network currently manages over $290 million in total assets and holds $128 million in stablecoins. The project aims to establish a powerful DeFi infrastructure.

Next week brings a significant development: 163 million STRK tokens worth over $16 million will be unlocked – accounting for 1.63 percent of the market capitalization. So far, Starknet has already released 47 percent of its token supply into circulation. However, the STRK price has plummeted, losing 60 percent from its yearly high, bringing the token close to its lowest levels since November 2024.

Sei and Its Gaming Potential Despite Price Decline

Sei Network presents a mixed picture. While the network has risen to become a leading platform in the gaming industry and attracts millions of users worldwide, its token performance lags behind. SEI is currently trading at $0.11 and has experienced a 72-percent decline over the year – a drop from its September high of $1.14.

This week, 121 million SEI tokens worth $15.27 million will be unlocked. With this transaction, the network reaches an unlock rate of 63 percent of the total supply. The stablecoin ecosystem on Sei remains stable at $86 million, but the total value locked has decreased by 22 percent in the last 30 days – a warning sign for DeFi activity.

Aster and the DEX Triumph

Aster Network has become the market leader in the perpetual DEX segment, surpassing the formerly dominant provider Hyperliquid. Trading volume in November reached an impressive $259 billion, and over $97 billion has already been traded in December.

The Aster unlock this week includes 200 million tokens worth $190 million. However, only 29 percent of the total supply is in circulation – still a long way to go until full tokenomics resolution. A positive aspect: Aster balances out unlocks through regular token burns and buys back millions of ASTER coins weekly. The current price of $0.62 indicates a stabilization trend.

Zebec Network: The Decline and Hope for Recovery

Zebec Protocol is experiencing one of the most dramatic price developments in this overview. From a high of $0.01 in May, the ZBCN token has plummeted to nearly zero dollars. The increase in token unlocks intensified the downward trend as initial market enthusiasm waned.

Next Monday, another 1 billion ZBCN tokens will be unlocked. However, Zebec is approaching the end of its unlock plan: 90 percent of the supply is already in circulation. This proximity to full unlock could benefit the token in the long term, as once the supply increase ends, price volatility could decrease and a price recovery could be initiated.

Cronos and Pudgy Penguins: The Extremes

Cronos: The network will unlock 1.17 billion CRO tokens this week. Notably: CRO has only unlocked 9 percent of its supply so far because a governance vote earlier this year reversed a token burn from previous years. With a total supply of over 98 million tokens, CRO remains a project with significant unlock potential.

Pudgy Penguins: The PENGU token shows more aggressive unlock dynamics. This week, 6.51 billion tokens are scheduled, with 70 percent of the total supply already in circulation. With over 88 million tokens in total supply, Pudgy Penguins has created a more mature token ecosystem.

Outlook: Other Observation Candidates

In addition to these six main players, Lombard, Merlin Chain, and LayerZero also deserve the attention of market observers this trading week. The crypto market remains fragmented, with token unlocks as key drivers of volatility.