Subdued Pre-Holiday Trading Sees Pockets of Concentrated ETF Activity

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Macro Summary

Total ETF market volume was muted in the session leading into the holiday weekend, with $226.79 billion changing hands, representing just 78% of the 30-day average daily volume. Activity was broadly subdued across nearly all asset classes, with most trading well below their typical pace. The lone exception was the Currencies category, which saw slightly elevated turnover. Despite the overall quiet tone, several specific funds and categories across Equity and Fixed Income experienced significant, concentrated bursts of trading activity.

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $155.57B $196.95B 79%
Fixed Income $18.00B $27.82B 65%
Commodities $3.07B $6.91B 44%
Digital Asset $2.81B $4.90B 57%
Currencies $134.3M $115.1M 117%
Alternatives $664.3M $916.2M 73%
Non-Traditional $46.33B $53.55B 87%
Multi-Asset $211.0M $266.8M 79%
Total $226.79B $291.43B 78%

Equity

Equity ETFs saw a quiet session, trading $155.57 billion, or just 79% of their recent average. Despite the low overall volume, several niche categories saw heightened interest, including Global Ex-U.S. Small | Mid Cap (181%), U.S. Small Cap – Growth (156%), and Thematic – Health Innovation (143%). Individual fund activity was highlighted by several extreme outliers, including the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) which traded 1,163% of its average on $55.6M in volume. Similarly, the iShares MSCI Spain ETF (EWP) saw turnover at 928% of its norm, while the iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) was also exceptionally active at 782% of its 30-day average.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Global Ex-U.S. Small | Mid Cap 181% $545.8M +0.62%
Equity: U.S. Small Cap – Growth 156% $531.8M -1.28%
Equity: Thematic – Health Innovation 143% $206.8M +2.17%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
EUSA iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF 1,163% $55.6M +0.56%
EWP iShares MSCI Spain ETF 928% $137.6M +1.16%
IHE iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF 782% $87.4M +2.69%
HEEM iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF 657% $20.8M -2.21%
IPAC iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF 653% $42.9M +0.35%
FMAT Fidelity MSCI Materials Index ETF 600% $20.7M +1.72%
PBPH Portfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETF 590% $19.9M +3.33%
DLN WisdomTree U.S. LargeCap Dividend Fund 543% $62.4M +0.76%
DTCR Global X Data Center And Digital Infrastructure ETF 467% $222.2M -3.42%
PBEU Portfolio Building Block European Banks Index ETF 441% $25.7M +1.83%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income ETFs experienced a very slow day, with volume of $18.00 billion amounting to only 65% of the 30-day average. However, this placid surface concealed intense activity in specific areas. Short-duration Municipal bond funds were a hot spot, trading at 203% of their average, alongside Convertible (179%) and Emerging Market (141%) debt funds. The session’s most active ETF came from this asset class, as the Simplify Aggregate Bond ETF (AGGH) saw extraordinary volume at 1,336% of its ADV. Other notable movers included the BondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETF (XEMD) at 984% and the JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Income ETF (JMST) at 495% of its typical volume.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Municipal – Short 203% $399.1M +0.04%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Convertible 179% $328.6M -1.05%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Emerging 141% $110.9M +0.21%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
AGGH Simplify Aggregate Bond ETF 1,336% $40.1M +0.29%
XEMD BondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETF 984% $51.1M +0.24%
LQDH iShares Interest Rate Hedged Corporate Bond ETF 787% $24.1M -0.34%
JMST JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Income ETF 495% $263.7M +0.05%
PHYL PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF 429% $17.7M +0.07%
EVMO Eaton Vance Mortgage Opportunities ETF 327% $9.0M +0.31%
EBND State Street SPDR Bloomberg Emerging Markets Local Bond ETF 295% $17.9M +0.69%
ANGL VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF 258% $39.1M +0.15%
PFFD Global X U.S. Preferred ETF 250% $25.8M -0.11%
VGUS Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF 221% $23.6M +0.06%

Commodities

Commodities ETFs saw volume dry up, with just $3.07 billion in turnover, a mere 44% of the 30-day average. No specific commodity categories experienced unusually high volume. The only notable activity occurred in a couple of individual funds, with the iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust (GSG) trading at 198% of its ADV and the iShares Gold Trust Micro ETF of Benef Interest (IAUM) seeing 179% of its normal turnover.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
GSG iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust 198% $43.1M -0.09%
IAUM iShares Gold Trust Micro ETF of Benef Interest 179% $187.6M +1.97%

Digital Asset

The Digital Asset space was quiet, posting $2.81 billion in volume, which is only 57% of its recent daily average. No categories stood out for elevated activity. The lone fund to see significantly higher-than-normal trading was the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL), which traded 172% of its 30-day average on $42.2M in 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
BSOL Bitwise Solana Staking ETF 172% $42.2M +4.84%

Currencies

Currency ETFs were the only asset class to trade above their 30-day average, with $134.3 million in volume representing 117% of the norm. Despite the heightened aggregate activity, turnover was broadly distributed across the space, as no individual categories or funds registered as significant outliers on 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.

Alternatives

Alternatives ETFs traded $664.3 million, or a subdued 73% of their 30-day average volume. The primary driver of activity was the Absolute Return – Managed Futures category, which saw turnover at 182% of its norm. This was almost entirely attributable to the iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF (DBMF), which traded $133.2 million, or 284% of its typical daily volume.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Alternative: Absolute Return – Managed Futures 182% $148.5M -0.37%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
DBMF iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF 284% $133.2M -0.62%

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional ETFs, a category that includes leveraged, inverse, and options-based strategies, saw a relatively calm session with $46.33 billion in volume, or 87% of the 30-day average. While no categories were unusually active, several individual funds saw notable interest. The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Income Advantage ETF (RSPA) traded at 519% of its ADV. Several leveraged single-stock funds also saw heavy action, including the T-REX 2X Long SNDK Daily Target ETF (SNDU) at 216% of its average.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
RSPA Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Income Advantage ETF 519% $39.6M +0.42%
PJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – January 442% $14.3M +0.08%
PJUL Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – July 351% $19.0M +0.06%
XYLD Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF 282% $82.3M -0.01%
SNDU T-REX 2X Long SNDK Daily Target ETF 216% $236.3M -26.89%
PTIR GraniteShares 2x Long PLTR Daily ETF 180% $123.4M +4.74%
BALT Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF 165% $25.3M +0.03%
XQQI NEOS Boosted Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF 164% $23.1M -2.31%
PLTU Direxion Daily PLTR Bull 2X ETF 161% $176.3M +4.79%
TSMX Direxion Daily TSM Bull 2X ETF 160% $124.7M -4.28%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset ETFs saw a quiet day consistent with the broader market, trading $211.0 million for 79% of their 30-day average. Category-level activity was unremarkable. The only fund to see a significant volume spike was the WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fund (GDE), which turned over $20.4 million, or 209% of its recent average.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
GDE WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fund 209% $20.4M +1.32%

Single-Stock Volume

Several widely-held single stocks experienced outsized trading volume during the session. Genuine Parts Company (GPC) was a major standout, trading 349% of its average daily volume on $586.2M as its shares rose +12.57%. Other notable high-volume names included Rivian Automotive, Inc. Class A (RIVN) at 289% of its ADV on $1.40B and Honeywell Aerospace Inc (HONA) at 242% on $1.02B. Mega-cap names like McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) and Robinhood Markets, Inc. Class A (HOOD), held by 385 and 305 ETFs respectively, also saw elevated turnover at 158% and 156% of their averages.

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

Stock Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return ETFs Holding
GPC Genuine Parts Company 349% $586.2M +12.57% 240
RIVN Rivian Automotive, Inc. Class A 289% $1.40B +8.30% 159
HONA Honeywell Aerospace Inc 242% $1.02B +8.82% 319
SE Sea Limited Sponsored ADR Class A 226% $706.8M +0.60% 109
BP BP PLC Sponsored ADR 203% $769.8M +3.18% 36
AEM Agnico Eagle Mines Limited 174% $759.2M -0.30% 15
MKSI MKS Inc. 161% $724.7M -11.07% 172
MCD McDonald's Corporation 158% $1.89B +4.03% 385
HOOD Robinhood Markets, Inc. Class A 156% $4.36B +2.91% 305

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.