Muted Session Sees Municipal Bonds and Core Fixed Income Dominate Trading

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Macro Summary

Total ETF market volume was subdued, reaching $183.52 billion, just 77% of the recent 30-day average. The session was characterized by a distinct risk-off tone, with below-average turnover in major asset classes like Equity, Digital Assets, and Non-Traditional products. In contrast, Fixed Income and Commodities provided the session’s main pockets of activity, both trading slightly above their typical daily volumes. The divergence highlights a cautious investor sentiment, with capital rotating towards more defensive asset classes.

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $110.41B $154.74B 71%
Fixed Income $30.99B $29.56B 105%
Commodities $8.45B $7.85B 108%
Digital Asset $3.05B $4.37B 70%
Currencies $66.8M $97.8M 68%
Alternatives $562.6M $693.0M 81%
Non-Traditional $29.76B $40.97B 73%
Multi-Asset $218.8M $214.4M 102%
Total $183.52B $238.50B 77%

Equity

Equity ETFs saw significantly reduced activity, with total volume of $110.41 billion representing only 71% of the 30-day average. Despite the overall quiet, specific pockets showed elevated interest, including Latin America funds (175% of ADV), Health Innovation (162%), Industrials (138%), and Utilities (127%). Individual fund activity was led by several smaller, specialized products, such as Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core ETF (FSCC) which traded an exceptional 1,009% of its average on $29.6M volume. Other notable outliers included Tweedy Browne Insider + Value ETF Trust Units (COPY) at 704% and JPMorgan U.S. Value Factor ETF US Value Factor Fund (JVAL) at 602% of their respective averages.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Region – Latin America 175% $166.1M +2.66%
Equity: Thematic – Health Innovation 162% $269.6M +1.00%
Equity: Sector – Industrial 138% $2.28B +0.02%
Equity: Sector – Utilities 127% $1.28B +0.28%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FSCC Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core ETF 1,009% $29.6M +1.38%
COPY Tweedy Browne Insider + Value ETF Trust Units 704% $18.8M +0.41%
JVAL JPMorgan U.S. Value Factor ETF US Value Factor Fund 602% $21.5M +0.73%
RSPH Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Health Care ETF 465% $19.5M +0.99%
MXI iShares Global Materials ETF 435% $16.3M +1.18%
PTH Invesco Dorsey Wright Healthcare Momentum ETF 421% $11.8M +0.86%
FLGB Franklin FTSE United Kingdom ETF 393% $25.6M +0.00%
PJP Invesco Pharmaceuticals ETF 380% $16.3M +1.59%
PEJ Invesco Leisure and Entertainment ETF 378% $21.9M +0.90%
EWN iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF 373% $62.3M +0.94%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income was the session’s standout asset class, trading $30.99 billion for a solid 105% of its 30-day average volume. The activity was overwhelmingly concentrated in the municipal bond space, where every category saw significant turnover: Intermediate (183%), Single State (180%), Long (166%), High Yield (163%), and Short (160%). The day’s most anomalous activity occurred in the BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF (BKAG), which saw an extraordinary $257.7M change hands, representing 2,834% of its daily average. Other funds with outsized volume included Vanguard Total World Bond ETF (BNDW) at 636% and JPMorgan Municipal ETF (JMUB) at 425% of their norms.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Municipal – Intermediate 183% $2.30B -0.09%
Fixed Income: Municipal – Single State 180% $235.5M -0.03%
Fixed Income: Municipal – Long 166% $109.0M -0.04%
Fixed Income: Municipal – High Yield 163% $229.5M -0.12%
Fixed Income: Municipal – Short 160% $315.3M -0.01%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
BKAG BNY Mellon Core Bond ETF 2,834% $257.7M +0.09%
BNDW Vanguard Total World Bond ETF 636% $41.5M +1.01%
DFCA Dimensional California Municipal Bond ETF 560% $18.0M +0.02%
NBSD Neuberger Short Duration Income ETF 527% $56.0M +0.01%
IBTL iShares iBonds Dec 2031 Term Treasury ETF 503% $25.4M +0.08%
XAGG Eaton Vance Income Opportunities ETF 489% $64.4M -0.08%
UYLD Angel Oak UltraShort Income ETF 427% $34.1M +0.03%
IBTM iShares iBonds Dec 2032 Term Treasury ETF 426% $11.4M +0.04%
JMUB JPMorgan Municipal ETF 425% $251.3M -0.19%
AVIG Avantis Core Fixed Income ETF 421% $45.3M +0.07%

Commodities

Commodities ETFs also experienced an active session, with $8.45 billion in volume marking 108% of the 30-day average. The interest was primarily driven by Agriculture-focused funds, which traded at 198% of their typical volume, and Broad Market strategies at 143%. This was reflected in the top tickers, led by the iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust (GSG) at 342% of its average. Agriculture-specific funds like the Invesco Agriculture Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF (PDBA) and Invesco DB Agriculture Fund (DBA) also saw heavy trading, at 301% and 286% of their respective averages.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Commodity: Focused – Agriculture 198% $136.7M -0.21%
Commodity: Multi-Sector – Broad Market 143% $407.5M -0.22%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
GSG iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust 342% $72.2M +0.10%
PDBA Invesco Agriculture Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF 301% $13.3M -0.79%
DBA Invesco DB Agriculture Fund 286% $92.5M -0.76%
BCI abrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF 182% $58.5M +0.13%
COMT iShares U.S. ETF Trust iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF 177% $11.0M +0.01%
FTGC First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund 174% $24.3M -1.16%
CERY State Street SPDR Bloomberg Enhanced Roll Yield Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF 156% $7.5M -0.01%
SDCI USCF SummerHaven Dynamic Commodity Strategy No K-1 Fund 154% $11.7M -0.50%

Digital Asset

Digital Asset ETFs had a quiet day, with volume of $3.05 billion amounting to just 70% of the 30-day average. No specific categories saw elevated turnover. The only notable activity at the ticker level came from the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHB), which traded 230% of its average on $25.0M volume, and the Zcash ETF (ZCSH) at 192% of its norm.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
ETHB iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF 230% $25.0M -0.96%
ZCSH Zcash ETF 192% $12.2M -2.14%

Currencies

Currency ETF activity was muted, with total volume of just $66.8 million, or 68% of the 30-day average. There were no categories or individual tickers with unusually high trading volume during the session, reflecting a lack of conviction in foreign exchange markets.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

Alternatives

Alternatives ETFs saw a below-average session, trading $562.6 million for 81% of their 30-day norm. Category-level activity was unremarkable. The only fund to stand out was the Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF (CTA), which traded $26.5 million, or 214% of its typical daily volume.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
CTA Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF 214% $26.5M -0.50%

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional ETFs, a category that includes leveraged, inverse, and options-based strategies, saw a quiet session with $29.76 billion in turnover, just 73% of the 30-day average. The lone active category was Buffer – Equity funds, which traded at 126% of their norm. A few individual option-based income funds saw heightened interest, including the Neuberger Option Strategy ETF (NBOS) at 348% of ADV and the YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF (PLTY) at 270%.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Buffer – Equity 126% $413.9M +0.23%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
NBOS Neuberger Option Strategy ETF 348% $8.8M +0.51%
PLTY YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF 270% $21.4M -4.55%
PSEP Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – September 203% $17.3M +0.32%
BUCK Simplify Treasury Option Income ETF 193% $8.3M +0.09%
CSHI NEOS Enhanced Income 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF 184% $55.9M +0.01%
LABU Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X ETF 171% $187.9M +2.91%
TSPY TappAlpha S&P 500 Growth & Daily Income ETF 164% $9.1M +0.99%
FAS Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X ETF 161% $87.2M +2.13%
BUFD FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF 156% $13.0M +0.31%
IGLD FT Vest Gold Strategy Target Income ETF 151% $11.3M +1.38%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset ETFs traded in line with recent trends, posting $218.8 million in volume for 102% of the 30-day average. While no categories stood out, a few specific funds saw notable activity. The State Street Multi-Asset Real Return ETF (RLY) was the most active, trading 324% of its average on $19.1M volume, followed by the Return Stacked U.S. Stocks & Managed Futures ETF (RSST) at 221%.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
RLY State Street Multi-Asset Real Return ETF 324% $19.1M +0.44%
RSST Return Stacked U.S. Stocks & Managed Futures ETF 221% $7.7M +0.29%
AOK iShares Core 30/70 Conservative Allocation ETF 186% $8.4M +0.01%
GDE WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fund 151% $8.6M +1.31%

Single-Stock Volume

Several widely-held single stocks experienced massive volume spikes, largely driven by earnings reports and other corporate news. Dell Technologies, Inc. Class C (DELL) was a standout, trading an immense $17.07 billion (660% of ADV) and is a constituent in 414 different ETFs. Gitlab, Inc. Class A (GTLB) saw the highest relative volume at 802% of its average. Significant volume also accompanied sharp price drops in names like Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd. (CRDO) and MongoDB, Inc. Class A (MDB), which traded 427% and 461% of their respective averages. The high turnover in these broadly owned tech and industrial names likely contributed to rebalancing activity across the ETF landscape.

High-Activity Single Stocks (vs 30-Day ADV)

Stock Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return ETFs Holding
GTLB Gitlab, Inc. Class A 802% $1.37B +10.43% 104
DELL Dell Technologies, Inc. Class C 660% $17.07B +14.79% 414
MDB MongoDB, Inc. Class A 461% $2.69B -12.24% 257
CRDO Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd. 427% $4.70B -19.95% 227
CNH CNH Industrial NV 316% $670.2M +9.04% 130
NVS Novartis AG Sponsored ADR 267% $675.7M -0.45% 46
HPE Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. 265% $2.17B -3.03% 358
PCG PG&E Corporation 255% $1.50B -5.26% 255
SNOW Snowflake, Inc. 198% $2.72B +15.81% 307
PANW Palo Alto Networks, Inc. 195% $4.09B -8.72% 476
BBY Best Buy Co., Inc. 172% $528.7M +5.27% 316
DE Deere & Company 167% $1.25B +3.12% 344
EIX Edison International 165% $526.6M -6.30% 315
ALNY Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc 163% $768.2M +6.65% 252
CTVA Corteva Inc 155% $586.7M +2.13% 297

Disclaimer: This AI-assisted commentary is for informational purposes only. The “High-Volume Categories” table includes categories with over $100M in volume and activity at least 125% of their 30-day average, limited to the top 5 by activity percentage. The “High-Activity Ticker Outliers” table shows the top 10 ETFs from each asset class, sorted by the highest trading activity versus their 30-day average. All reported ETFs have AUM over $250M and an ADV greater than $2.5M.

Disclosures: This material is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. All investments, including ETFs, involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider their investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.

This analysis was developed by the team at ETF Action. We leverage advanced AI tools to assist in the drafting and refinement of our content, based on our expert prompts, direction, and final review.