Stellar's native token, XLM, has declined 5.05% over the past 24 hours to $0.1425. However, Stellar remains a top 15 cryptocurrency by market capitalization at $3.87B. Trading volume is still robust at over $168 million in the past day.

What's Driving XLM's Short-Term Decline?

While XLM has seen substantial gains over the past month (+54.47%) and 6 months (+54.23%), its price has pulled back over the past 24 hours. This could simply reflect some profit-taking after the strong rally earlier in 2023.

The cooling in prices could also stem from overall uncertainty in macroeconomic conditions. However, robust trading volume signals ongoing interest in XLM amid Stellar's continued ecosystem development.

Should You Buy XLM After the Pullback?

For long-term focused XLM investors, the latest dip represents a potential buying opportunity to accumulate tokens at a discount. Building a position gradually via dollar cost averaging can smooth out risk.

Attempting to time the exact bottom is difficult. But steadily accumulating during bearish sentiment can yield sizable gains when the trend ultimately reverses back upward. Stellar offers fast, low-cost transactions perfect for payments.

Near-term traders should utilize prudent risk management like tight stop losses. XLM can see elevated volatility during uncertain times. Keeping risk under control is essential.

What Does the Future Look Like for Stellar?

Despite recent cooling across crypto markets, Stellar maintains a bullish long-term outlook. The Stellar Development Foundation continues advancing key network upgrades to further boost speed and scalability.

Additionally, unique capabilities like automated market makers further expand real-world utility and adoption. With increasing use cases and a fixed token supply, XLM appears poised for substantial upside over the long run.

For both long-term token holders and short-term traders, Stellar remains a compelling blockchain project to watch. Periods of bearish sentiment often allow savvy investors to build positions at a discount. XLM's future looks bright heading into 2023 and beyond.