The Calm Before the Storm? Leveraged ETFs Dominate an Otherwise Sleepy Session

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Macro Summary

Trading activity for the session was muted overall, tracking at just 88% of the 30-day average on a total market volume of $290.05B. While Multi-Asset exchange-traded products managed to inch past their historical norms at 104% of typical activity, core asset classes were notably subdued. Equities anchored absolute dollar volume with $211.88B traded (97% of ADV), offset by steep declines in Commodities turnover ($11.04B, 38% of ADV) and Digital Assets ($4.19B, 63% of ADV). The session reflected a balanced, quiet environment rather than sweeping thematic rotations.

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $211.88B $218.83B 97%
Fixed Income $25.77B $31.69B 81%
Commodities $11.04B $28.72B 38%
Digital Asset $4.19B $6.65B 63%
Currencies $94.42M $120.38M 78%
Alternatives $1.17B $1.31B 89%
Non-Traditional $35.65B $41.88B 85%
Multi-Asset $250.82M $241.98M 104%

Equity

The Equity class observed near-average volume levels at $211.88B (97% of ADV), experiencing specific pockets of concentrated rotation rather than broad conviction. Sustainability and Information Technology categories caught outsized attention, posting 144% and 135% of their respective 30-day averages, despite ending the session in negative territory. Unsurprisingly, specific thematic, financial, and consumer discretionary tickers dominated the high-activity outlier board.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Thematic – Sustainability 144% $316.88M -1.36%
Equity: U.S. Large Cap – Growth 135% $58.51B -0.70%
Equity: Sector – Information Technology 135% $14.65B -1.59%
Equity: Region – Country Specific 126% $11.48B -0.62%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
FTXO First Trust Nasdaq Bank ETF 656% $34.86M +1.06%
RSPD Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Discretionary ETF 621% $24.40M +1.37%
AUSF Global X Adaptive U.S. Factor ETF 584% $17.63M +0.62%
EWZS iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF 569% $56.10M +0.32%
IMCV iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Value ETF 548% $13.82M +0.64%
FLCA Franklin FTSE Canada ETF 531% $18.69M +1.08%
FXO First Trust Financials AlphaDEX Fund 494% $66.79M +0.93%
GRPM Invesco S&P MidCap 400 GARP ETF 455% $12.25M +0.77%
SPTM State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 1500 Composite Stock Market ETF 419% $267.61M -0.47%
IXP iShares Global Comm Services ETF 378% $20.40M -0.29%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income volume wrapped up at $25.77B, realizing 81% of typical daily turnover. The action skewed predominantly toward credit and taxable exposures, highlighted by above-average participation in the Convertible (132%) and Bank Loan (129%) categories. Floating rate products and high-yield instruments distinctly anchored the outlier list, signaling targeted yield-seeking behavior from participants.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Taxable – Convertible 132% $208.73M -1.32%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Bank Loans 129% $1.04B -0.34%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
TFLR T. Rowe Price Floating Rate ETF 1785% $66.57M -0.09%
HYBL State Street Blackstone High Income ETF 357% $16.66M -0.35%
CLOX Eldridge AAA CLO ETF 297% $9.94M +0.04%
BWX SPDR Bloomberg International Treasury Bond ETF 286% $63.27M +0.20%
JBBB Janus Henderson B-BBB CLO ETF 225% $46.94M -0.39%
ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF 225% $54.10M +0.02%
FIIG First Trust Intermediate Duration Investment Grade Corporate ETF 217% $7.34M +0.12%
FTSM First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF 207% $112.40M +0.01%
SPBO State Street SPDR Portfolio Corporate Bond ETF 204% $30.86M +0.08%
FLBL Franklin Senior Loan ETF Franklin Liberty Senior Loan Fund 188% $20.86M +0.20%

Commodities

Commodities experienced a highly subdued session, with aggregate volume sinking to just $11.04B, or 38% of its 30-day average. Focused Energy (189% of ADV) was the sole category to break the $100M threshold with elevated conviction, driven heavily by crude oil products amidst broader asset class quietude.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Commodity: Focused – Energy 189% $1.68B -0.50%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
BCI abrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF 255% $69.84M +2.76%
USO United States Oil Fund LP 244% $1.39B +0.15%

Digital Asset

Digital Assets printed a very light session, managing just $4.19B in trading volume, tracking at 63% of historical norms. Returns across the board skewed negative, and no specific category or underlying ticker met the threshold for high-activity outlier status.

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 exchange-traded products remained quiet, settling at $94.42M in volume (78% of typical activity). The session did not feature any specific categories or tickers commanding pronounced trading interest.

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

Alternative ETPs gathered $1.17B in trading volume, registering at 89% of average daily activity. The asset class saw balanced, muted participation across Absolute Return and Volatility profiles, with no single segment or ticker hitting extreme outlier parameters.

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

The Non-Traditional segment saw total turnover of $35.65B, coming in slightly subdued at 85% of average volume. Synthetic Income and Leveraged/Inverse structures dominated the action, heavily skewed toward semiconductor and tech-focused single-stock products on a highly volatile day for those names.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
KORU Direxion MSCI Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares 476% $478.25M +2.66%
FNGU MicroSectors FANG+ 3 Leveraged ETNs 184% $224.12M -2.03%
UCO ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil 180% $124.20M -0.23%
NVDL GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF 157% $1.34B -11.43%
BUYW Main BuyWrite ETF 157% $9.34M -0.03%
ISPY ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF 155% $8.71M -0.56%
CHPY YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option Income ETF 154% $29.25M -1.90%
NVDX T-Rex 2X Long NVIDIA Daily Target ETF 151% $271.40M -11.32%
NVDY YieldMax NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF 151% $106.87M -4.66%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset products stood out as the only class to crest its 30-day moving average, recording 104% of typical activity on $250.82M in volume. The session highlighted interest in Global Macro and Real Asset allocations, with notable activity spikes among adaptive and all-weather strategies.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
ALLW SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF 280% $48.65M +0.12%
RAAX VanEck Real Assets ETF 215% $23.17M +0.33%
HECA Hedgeye Capital Allocation ETF 173% $13.88M -0.60%

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.