Commodities Defy Market Lull with Trading Activity at 166% of 30-Day Average

Share

Macro Summary

U.S.-listed ETF markets saw total trading volume of $181.2B today, representing just 69% of the 30-day average activity level. Despite the overall light turnover, the market mood was defined by a concentrated surge in the Commodity asset class, which finished the day up 0.02% on volume that reached 166% of its historical norm. This anomaly was driven by aggressive positioning in precious metals, contrasting with the more sluggish activity observed in Equities (62% of average) and Fixed Income (87% of average), which fell 0.17% and 0.10% respectively.

Asset Class Summary

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $114.1B $182.8B 62%
Fixed Income $23.1B $26.7B 87%
Commodity $15.4B $9.3B 166%
Digital Asset $5.3B $6.5B 82%
Currency $60.8M $77.4M 79%
Alternative $529.2M $1.2B 45%
Non-Traditional $22.4B $34.3B 65%
Multi-Asset $222.6M $171.9M 129%

Equity

The Equity asset class recorded a total volume of $114.1B, trading at 62% of its 30-day average activity level. Turnover was notably heavy in the Equity: Global Large Cap – Value category (finishing the day down 0.12%) and the Equity: Global Small | Mid Cap category (closing down 0.73%). This segment-level activity was punctuated by significant individual ticker outliers, including ALAI (closing -0.55% with 722% activity) and EUSA (closing -0.19% with 615% activity), signaling localized rebalancing or rotation within a broadly quiet session.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Global Large Cap – Value 346% $87.5M -0.12%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
ALAI Alger AI Enablers & Adopters ETF 722% $18.9M -0.55%
EUSA iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF 615% $23.6M -0.19%
ACWV iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF 597% $73.8M -0.18%
INDY iShares India 50 ETF 501% $25.3M -0.46%
IXUS iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF 409% $741.2M +0.05%
SCHC Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF 399% $75.6M -0.16%
SPEU SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF 381% $9.7M +0.40%
SLVP iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF 364% $64.4M +2.13%
AVIV Avantis International Large Cap Value ETF 322% $11.0M +0.29%
IWC iShares Micro-Cap ETF 289% $20.7M -0.81%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income ETFs traded a total of $23.1B, reaching 87% of their 30-day average volume. Activity was particularly robust within the Fixed Income: Municipal – High Yield category (finishing up 0.09%) and Fixed Income: Taxable – Bank Loans (down 0.03%). High-activity ticker outliers provided specific evidence of this trend, most notably FTCB (closing -0.07% on 912% activity) and LMBS (closing -0.18% with 665% activity), which dominated turnover within their respective taxable core and short-term categories.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Municipal – High Yield 176% $172.0M +0.09%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Bank Loans 122% $495.7M -0.03%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FTCB First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF 912% $65.4M -0.07%
LMBS First Trust Low Duration Opportunities ETF 665% $126.2M -0.18%
ULST State Street Ultra Short Term Bond ETF 449% $15.9M +0.01%
HYLS First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF 372% $22.7M +0.16%
FLCB Franklin U.S Core Bond ETF 311% $19.8M -0.09%
TIPX State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-10 Year TIPS ETF 299% $11.3M +0.03%
MUNI PIMCO Intermediate Municipal Bond Active ETF 297% $49.6M -0.01%
AGGY WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Aggregate Bond Fund 291% $7.5M +0.03%
HYMB State Street SPDR Nuveen High Yield Municipal Bond ETF 274% $58.2M +0.18%
HYBL State Street Blackstone High Income ETF 263% $15.9M +0.11%

Commodity

Commodity ETFs were the day’s primary outlier, generating $15.4B in volume—166% of the 30-day average. This surge was almost entirely concentrated in the Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals category (finishing up 1.27%), which traded $14.6B on its own. Extreme turnover in SLV (closing +5.13% with 284% activity) and SIVR (closing +5.15% with 264% activity) drove this trend, while industrial metals also saw elevated turnover through CPER (closing +4.07% on 268% activity).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals 170% $14.6B +1.27%
Commodity: Multi-Sector – Broad Market 123% $203.0M -1.01%
Commodity: Focused – Energy 104% $541.7M +0.01%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FTGC First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund 357% $46.2M +0.84%
SLV iShares Silver Trust 284% $8.0B +5.13%
CPER United States Copper Index Fund 268% $49.3M +4.07%
SIVR abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF 264% $434.0M +5.15%
COMT iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF 224% $14.6M +0.62%
PALL abrdn Physical Palladium Shares ETF 206% $155.5M -1.94%
UNG United States Natural Gas Fund LP 193% $365.0M +0.44%

Digital Asset

Digital Asset ETFs saw $5.3B in volume, operating at 82% of their 30-day average activity level. The category was led by Digital Asset: Cryptocurrency – Bitcoin (down 0.34%) and Digital Asset: Cryptocurrency – Multicoin (up 0.77%). Ticker-level activity was highlighted by BRRR (closing +0.88% with 272% activity) and EZBC (closing +0.87% with 183% activity).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
No categories met the high-volume criteria.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
BRRR Coinshares Bitcoin ETF 272% $19.4M +0.88%
EZBC Franklin Bitcoin ETF 183% $22.5M +0.87%
BITW Bitwise 10 Crypto Index ETF 174% $10.5M +1.16%

Currency

Currency ETFs generated $60.8M in volume, representing 79% of their 30-day average. The asset class saw a modest decline of 0.08% overall, with FXF (closing -0.36% on 160% activity) being the standout ticker in terms of relative volume.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
No categories met the high-volume criteria.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FXF Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust 160% $8.0M -0.36%

Alternatives

The Alternative asset class saw muted turnover of $529.2M, just 45% of its 30-day average. While absolute return strategies saw relatively normal flows, volatility-linked products were significantly quieter than usual.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
No categories met the high-volume criteria.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
No high-activity ticker outliers for this asset class.

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional ETFs recorded $22.4B in volume, or 65% of their typical level. Despite the low aggregate volume, the Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Commodity category (down 0.51%) saw activity spike to 223% of its ADV, largely driven by turnover in AGQ (closing +10.96% with 307% activity). Other notable outliers included PJAN (+0.04% on 337% activity) and USOI (+0.38% on 260% activity).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Commodity 223% $3.0B -0.51%
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Single Stock 66% $5.8B -2.38%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
PJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – January 337% $9.6M +0.04%
AGQ ProShares Ultra Silver 307% $1.6B +10.96%
USOI UBS AG ETRACS Crude Oil Shares Covered Call ETNs 260% $13.0M +0.38%
DDM ProShares Ultra Dow30 237% $57.0M -0.47%
GDEC FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – December 231% $14.3M -0.08%
XDTE Roundhill S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF 209% $24.5M +0.04%
CWEB Direxion Daily CSI China Internet Index Bull 2x 174% $13.1M -0.43%
DIVO Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF 170% $56.3M -2.30%
BUFZ FT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETF 168% $6.0M -0.04%
KNG FT Vest S&P 500 Div Aristocrats Target Income ETF 167% $33.6M -0.11%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset ETFs outperformed their averages significantly, trading $222.6M (129% of ADV). Strength was concentrated in the Asset Allocation: Target Risk – Global Macro category (finishing down 0.27%) and Asset Allocation: Target Risk – Conservative (down 0.00%). Outlier turnover in ALLW (closing +1.66% on 200% activity) and AOK (flat on 151% activity) supported these category moves.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
No categories met the high-volume criteria.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
ALLW SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF 200% $15.7M +1.66%
AOK iShares Core 30/70 Conservative Allocation ETF 151% $10.4M 0.00%

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 volume. 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.