Asia-Pacific and Precious Metals Surge While Broader Market Sleeps

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Macro Summary

Total market volume settled at $234.4B (82% of the 30-day average), reflecting a generally quiet session across most major asset classes. However, a significant anomaly emerged in the Asia-Pacific region, where the “Equity: Region – Asia-Pacific” category exploded to 551% of its average daily volume (rising +0.75% on the day). This surge was almost entirely driven by heavy turnover in VPL (closing +1.06%), which saw trading activity spike to over 700% of its normal levels. While broad market participation remained muted, this specific pocket of international equity drew aggressive capital flow, contrasting sharply with the lackluster volumes seen in domestic equities and fixed income.

Asset Class Summary

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $160.5B $200.8B 80%
Fixed Income $26.8B $28.7B 93%
Commodity $11.7B $8.6B 135%
Digital Asset $5.4B $7.3B 74%
Currency $90.7M $80.1M 113%
Alternative $890.3M $1.4B 65%
Non-Traditional $28.8B $39.0B 74%
Multi-Asset $235.6M $174.3M 135%

Equity

Equity markets saw $160.5B in total volume, trading at just 80% of the 30-day average. Activity was heavily concentrated in specific thematic and regional pockets, most notably the “Equity: Region – Asia-Pacific” category (finishing the day up +0.75%), which saw volume swell to 551% of its average. This move was largely driven by heavy turnover in VPL (closing +1.06%). Thematic categories also saw elevated interest, with “Equity: Thematic – Industrial Revolution” (up +1.39%) and “Equity: Thematic – Sustainability” (up +1.02%) both trading at 154% of average volume, supported by outliers like ARKX (closing +3.34%) and TAN (closing +4.87%).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Region – Asia-Pacific 551% $362.7M +0.75%
Equity: Global Ex-U.S. Small | Mid Cap 133% $310.3M +0.38%
Equity: Thematic – Industrial Revolution 154% $239.9M +1.39%
Equity: Thematic – Sustainability 154% $217.1M +1.02%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FDEM Fidelity Emerging Markets Multifactor ETF 1563% $57.0M +0.35%
STRV Strive 500 ETF 987% $29.1M +0.48%
VPL Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF 708% $356.4M +1.06%
XT iShares Future Exponential Technologies ETF 551% $38.1M +0.57%
CGCV Capital Group Conservative Equity ETF 433% $42.8M +0.67%
SEIV SEI Enhanced U.S. Large Cap Value Factor ETF 362% $12.0M +0.57%
IXG iShares Global Financials ETF 358% $9.8M +1.01%
ACWV iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF 354% $41.5M +0.21%
DIVB iShares Core Dividend ETF 351% $29.9M +0.53%
ARKX ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF 341% $30.3M +3.34%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income volume reached $26.8B, operating at 93% of its 30-day average. While domestic taxable bonds were largely inline with averages, international exposure saw a sharp increase in activity. The “Fixed Income: Taxable – International USD” category (closing virtually flat at +0.01%) traded at 300% of its normal volume, driven by outsized flows in BNDX (closing -0.17%). The “Fixed Income: Specialty – Defined Maturity” category (down -0.15%) also saw notable action at 205% of average volume, with IBTM (closing -0.09%) seeing activity spike to over 400% of its norm.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Taxable – International USD 300% $880.1M +0.01%
Fixed Income: Specialty – Defined Maturity 205% $741.2M -0.15%
Fixed Income: Municipal – Single State 201% $124.6M +0.02%
Fixed Income: Municipal – High Yield 157% $146.3M -0.01%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
HYDB iShares High Yield Systematic Bond ETF 798% $104.7M +0.12%
BNDX Vanguard Total International Bond ETF 464% $776.2M -0.17%
IBTM iShares iBonds Dec 2032 Term Treasury ETF 409% $10.3M -0.09%
IBDU iShares iBonds Dec 2029 Term Corporate ETF 386% $68.4M 0.00%
UBND VictoryShares Core Plus Intermediate Bond ETF 386% $21.1M +0.02%
GVI iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF 375% $50.5M -0.03%
IBHG iShares iBonds 2027 Term High Yield and Income ETF 373% $10.1M -0.04%
VTEC Vanguard California Tax-Exempt Bond ETF 348% $47.9M +0.08%
BWZ SPDR Bloomberg Short Term International Treasury Bond ETF 315% $8.4M +0.33%
SPMB State Street SPDR Portfolio Mortgage Backed Bond ETF 295% $48.3M +0.02%

Commodities

Commodities were a bright spot for activity, trading $11.7B in volume, or 135% of the 30-day average. The “Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals” category (surging +2.82%) saw elevated interest, trading at 137% of average volume. This move was underscored by massive activity in PPLT (closing +6.85%), which saw volume exceed 500% of its norm, and SLVR (up +4.99%). The “Commodity: Multi-Sector – Broad Market” category also showed strength, with activity at 125% of average, aided by BCI (closing +0.64%).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals 137% $10.8B +2.82%
Commodity: Multi-Sector – Broad Market 125% $215.7M +0.29%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
PPLT abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF 507% $298.4M +6.85%
BCI abrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF 423% $69.5M +0.64%
SLVR Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF 284% $45.6M +4.99%
SLVP iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF 255% $33.8M +4.54%
HGER Harbor Commodity All-Weather Strategy ETF 220% $28.9M +2.60%
PALL abrdn Physical Palladium Shares ETF 207% $104.4M +2.40%
GLTR abrdn Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF 191% $29.3M +2.66%
DBA Invesco DB Agriculture Fund 191% $9.8M -2.90%
UNG United States Natural Gas Fund LP 159% $290.6M -2.67%

Digital Asset

Digital Assets saw subdued volume of $5.4B, reaching only 74% of the 30-day average. No individual category met the threshold for high-volume activity. Trading was largely muted across the board, though BITW (closing +0.13%) provided a rare pocket of activity, trading at 177% of its average 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
BITW Bitwise 10 Crypto Index ETF 177% $10.3M +0.13%

Currency

Currency ETF volume was modest at $90.7M, but activity levels were slightly elevated at 113% of the 30-day average. While overall category volumes remained below the $100M threshold, specific funds like FXE (closing +0.39%) saw notable action, trading at nearly double its average daily turnover.

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
FXE Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Trust 192% $18.0M +0.39%

Alternatives

Alternative ETFs saw quiet trading with $890.3M in volume (65% of average). While broad category volumes remained low, there was idiosyncratic activity in managed futures strategies, largely driven by heavy turnover in CTA (closing +0.53%), which traded at more than double its typical daily 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
CTA Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF 234% $20.1M +0.53%

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional ETFs traded $28.8B in volume (74% of average), but certain segments saw focused buying pressure. The “Non-Traditional: Buffer – Equity” category (up +0.28%) was a standout, trading at 156% of its average daily volume. This activity was bolstered by high turnover in tickers like USOI (closing +0.89%), which saw volume surge to nearly 450% of normal levels, and FDEC (up +0.28%).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Buffer – Equity 156% $458.4M +0.28%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
USOI UBS AG ETRACS Crude Oil Shares Covered Call ETNs due April 24; 2037 447% $16.9M +0.89%
FDEC FT Vest US Equity Buffer ETF – December 320% $11.8M +0.28%
QDEC FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF – December 301% $12.8M +0.20%
BUFQ FT Vest Laddered Nasdaq Buffer ETF 232% $10.7M +0.21%
DDM ProShares Ultra Dow30 226% $58.3M +0.95%
IWMI NEOS Russell 2000 High Income ETF 211% $22.2M +2.42%
DFEN Direxion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X Shares 197% $18.2M +7.52%
SDVD FT Vest SMID Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF 196% $6.4M +0.60%
XYLD Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF 192% $64.4M -0.45%
CWEB Direxion Daily CSI China Internet Index Bull 2x Shares 189% $15.9M +1.90%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset funds traded $235.6M in volume, reaching 135% of the 30-day average. While category-level volumes were below the high-volume threshold, outliers like AOR (up +0.30%) saw significant turnover at 227% of average activity, indicating targeted rebalancing or allocation shifts within these diversified strategies.

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
AOR iShares Core 60/40 Balanced Allocation ETF 227% $56.6M +0.30%
GDE WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fund 196% $12.3M +2.30%
AOA iShares Core 80/20 Aggressive Allocation ETF 157% $15.2M +0.28%

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.