The price of ASTER tokens fell by more than 12%, hitting an all-time low of $0.61, prompting the Aster protocol to launch its planned fifth phase of its buyback program. The protocol stated that it is currently automatically deploying its strategic buyback reserves, allocating 20% to 40% of its daily platform fees to targeted buybacks to reduce circulating supply and stabilize token prices amid increased market pressure on assets on smaller decentralized exchanges (DEXs).