Quiet Session Sees Pockets of Intense Trading in Munis and Leveraged Funds

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Macro Summary

Total ETF market volume was exceptionally light, reaching just $161.15 billion, a mere 67% of the 30-day average daily volume. The muted activity was widespread, with every major asset class trading well below its recent trend. Equity and Digital Asset ETFs were particularly slow, trading at 62% and 42% of their respective averages, while Fixed Income showed the most relative resilience, though still subdued at 86% of its typical pace. The session was characterized by a broad summer lull punctuated by highly concentrated, name-specific trading events.

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $98.31B $159.05B 62%
Fixed Income $22.82B $26.66B 86%
Commodities $4.45B $6.05B 74%
Digital Asset $1.76B $4.18B 42%
Currencies $81.4M $107.0M 76%
Alternatives $510.6M $715.0M 71%
Non-Traditional $33.02B $42.99B 77%
Multi-Asset $189.6M $216.1M 88%
Total $161.15B $239.96B 67%

Equity

Equity ETFs saw one of their slowest sessions in recent memory, with just $98.31 billion traded, representing only 62% of the 30-day average. No specific category stood out, but several individual funds saw anomalous activity. The iShares MSCI UAE ETF (UAE) was a significant outlier, trading 775% of its average volume. Other notable funds included the State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) at 220% of its ADV on $118.3 million and the iShares U.S. Insurance ETF (IAK) at 237% 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
UAE iShares MSCI UAE ETF 775% $23.8M +0.18%
GSUS Goldman Sachs MarketBeta U.S. Equity ETF 283% $19.8M -0.17%
USPX Franklin U.S. Equity Index ETF 258% $9.6M -0.12%
GPZ VanEck Alternative Asset Manager ETF 241% $9.7M -2.04%
IAK iShares U.S. Insurance ETF 237% $53.8M +0.20%
CPAI Counterpoint Quantitative Equity ETF 225% $7.3M +0.61%
XAR State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF 220% $118.3M +1.55%
FLBR Franklin FTSE Brazil ETF 213% $5.8M -0.70%
DFUV Dimensional US Marketwide Value ETF 211% $44.2M +0.21%
RSPD Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary ETF 204% $6.0M -0.19%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income was the most active asset class relative to its own history, though still below trend with $22.82 billion in volume, or 86% of its 30-day average. The Municipal – Intermediate category was a clear standout, trading 126% of its average volume. This was driven by intense interest in specific funds, led by a massive volume spike in the Xtrackers USD High Yield BB-B ex Financials ETF (BHYB), which traded over 1,843% of its ADV. Muni-focused funds like the JPMorgan Municipal ETF (JMUB) and NYLI MacKay Muni Intermediate ETF (MMIT) also saw heavy turnover at 543% and 618% of their respective averages.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Municipal – Intermediate 126% $1.33B -0.16%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
BHYB Xtrackers USD High Yield BB-B ex Financials ETF 1,843% $129.2M -0.04%
MMIT NYLI MacKay Muni Intermediate ETF 618% $37.8M -0.15%
JMUB JPMorgan Municipal ETF 543% $309.2M -0.15%
CORB AB Core Bond ETF 509% $15.3M -0.29%
VTEI Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF 475% $37.9M -0.16%
SUSB iShares ESG Aware 1-5 Year USD Corporate Bond ETF 374% $14.0M -0.06%
EVLN Eaton Vance Floating-Rate ETF 320% $14.2M +0.05%
TUSI Touchstone Ultra Short Income ETF 243% $16.6M +0.06%
PMBS PIMCO Mortgage-Backed Securities Active Exchange-Traded Fund 233% $8.1M -0.22%
VCRB Vanguard Core Bond ETF 227% $84.9M -0.20%

Commodities

The commodities complex was quiet, with total volume of $4.45 billion translating to just 74% of the 30-day average. Activity was broadly distributed and subdued, with no high-volume categories or individual ticker outliers qualifying for notable activity during the session.

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.

Digital Asset

Digital Asset ETFs experienced an extremely sluggish session, posting the lowest relative activity of any asset class. Total volume reached only $1.76 billion, a mere 42% of the 30-day average. There were no standout categories or individual tickers to report as trading was muted across the board.

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.

Currencies

Currency ETFs traded $81.4 million, or 76% of their recent daily average, in a generally quiet session. The only notable activity was in the Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE), which saw a modest spike in interest, trading 150% of its typical volume as it gained +0.37%.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FXE Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Trust 150% $11.6M +0.37%

Alternatives

The Alternatives space saw a subdued day of trading, with volume reaching $510.6 million, or 71% of its 30-day average. The session lacked any significant concentration of activity, with no categories or individual ETFs registering unusual volume.

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.

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional ETFs recorded $33.02 billion in volume, or 77% of their 30-day average. While the overall figure was below trend, several leveraged single-stock products experienced massive turnover. The Tradr 2X Long SNDK Daily ETF (SNXX) traded an immense $2.45 billion at 175% of its ADV, while the Tradr 2X Long AAOI Daily ETF (AAOX) saw 255% of its average volume. Similarly, the Direxion Daily TSLA Bull 2X ETF (TSLL) was heavily traded, with $1.20 billion changing hands.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
MQQQ Tradr 2X Long Innovation 100 Monthly ETF 423% $50.1M -0.36%
TSLY YieldMax TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF 309% $32.3M +0.20%
AAOX Tradr 2X Long AAOI Daily ETF 255% $320.4M +30.79%
MSTY YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF 182% $24.8M -3.59%
TSLL Direxion Daily TSLA Bull 2X ETF 179% $1.20B +1.22%
SNXX Tradr 2X Long SNDK Daily ETF 175% $2.45B +14.85%
PJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – January 166% $5.9M +0.00%
BULZ MicroSectors Solactive FANG & Innovation 3X Leveraged ETN 159% $44.1M -0.43%
LITX Tradr 2X Long LITE Daily ETF 150% $126.8M +10.11%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset ETFs traded near their typical pace, with $189.6 million in volume representing 88% of the 30-day average. Activity was largely unremarkable, with the exception of the State Street Bridgewater All Weather ETF (ALLW), which traded at 159% of its usual 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
ALLW State Street Bridgewater All Weather ETF 159% $20.8M -0.18%

Single-Stock Volume

Despite the quiet ETF market, several individual stocks saw heavy and unusual trading volume. Reddit (RDDT) was a major focus, trading $3.64 billion, over 404% of its 30-day average, and is a constituent in 202 different ETFs. Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) also saw significant interest, trading $2.60 billion (213% of ADV) in a move that corresponded with heavy volume in its related leveraged ETF. The highest relative volume belonged to Unusual Machines Inc. (UMAC), which traded 660% of its average, while Nebius Group N.V. (NBIS) saw the day’s highest dollar volume at $7.48 billion.

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

Stock Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return ETFs Holding
UMAC Unusual Machines Inc. 660% $524.0M +24.72% 32
RDDT Reddit, Inc. Class A 404% $3.64B +12.63% 202
CBRS Cerebras Systems, Inc. Class A 268% $3.12B -5.42% 79
AAOI Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. 213% $2.60B +15.84% 88
MP MP Materials Corp Class A 211% $607.9M +5.82% 133
WDAY Workday, Inc. Class A 202% $1.47B -4.04% 367
WBS Webster Financial Corporation 200% $658.4M -0.03% 124
NU Nu Holdings Ltd. Class A 192% $2.28B +8.76% 136
TPR Tapestry, Inc. 185% $649.3M +0.46% 326
NBIS Nebius Group N.V. Class A 158% $7.48B +8.35% 156
SMCI Super Micro Computer, Inc. 152% $2.29B +1.56% 246

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.