ETF Volume Spikes to $458B as the VIX Roars Back

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Macro Summary

Total exchange volume surged to $458.1B, representing 154% of the 30-day average, as a sharp spike in volatility defined the trading session. The standout story was the aggressive rush into protection within the Alternative asset class, where turnover hit an extreme 242% of normal levels. This activity was concentrated in the Volatility – Long category, which jumped +7.29% on the day, signaling acute investor anxiety amidst broader market selling.

Asset Class Summary

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Non-Traditional $62.1B $43.7B 142%
Equity $336.4B $199.2B 169%
Fixed Income $35.4B $31.4B 113%
Commodity $7.8B $12.9B 61%
Digital Asset $12.0B $8.6B 140%
Currency $95.8M $76.0M 126%
Alternative $4.1B $1.7B 242%
Multi-Asset $168.4M $185.2M 91%

Equity

Equity markets traded with heavy intensity, recording $336.4B in volume (169% of the 30-day average). Selling pressure was broad, with significant turnover in the Equity: U.S. Mid Cap – Value category (finishing the day down -1.13%) and Equity: U.S. Small Cap – Blend (-1.27%). High activity was largely driven by heavy turnover in BBUS (closing -1.58%) and XLG (-1.60%), reflecting a risk-off rotation across size and style factors.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: U.S. Large Cap – Blend 180% $136.5B -1.44%
Equity: U.S. Large Cap – Growth 173% $75.0B -2.22%
Equity: U.S. Small Cap – Blend 200% $23.5B -1.27%
Equity: Sector – Information Technology 194% $18.5B -3.54%
Equity: U.S. Large Cap – Value 175% $14.3B -1.06%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
IAK iShares U.S. Insurance ETF 999% $93.0M +0.54%
VIOV Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF 532% $16.4M -2.20%
BBUS JPMorgan BetaBuilders U.S. Equity ETF 516% $158.9M -1.58%
XLG Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF 490% $901.6M -1.60%
RPV Invesco S&P 500 Pure Value ETF 468% $61.1M -1.22%
FENI Fidelity Enhanced International ETF 459% $181.1M -1.25%
IWS iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF 422% $297.2M -1.24%
GSLC TR Activebeta US Large Cap Equity ETF 390% $138.6M -1.43%
TRFK Pacer Data and Digital Revolution ETF 379% $40.6M -4.09%
RSPT Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF 379% $53.3M -3.27%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income volume totaled $35.4B, reaching 113% of the 30-day average. Interest was notably high in the Fixed Income: Taxable – Emerging USD category (finishing the day down -0.14%) and Fixed Income: Taxable – International USD (+0.03%). Specific outliers included massive relative activity in NXUS (closing 0.00%) and high-yield exposure via XBB (+0.05%).

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Taxable – Emerging USD 203% $1.5B -0.14%
Fixed Income: Taxable – International USD 174% $513.7M +0.03%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Convertible 166% $211.7M -1.76%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Preferred Stock 141% $324.9M -0.41%
Fixed Income: Taxable – High Yield 128% $7.0B -0.07%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
NXUS NuShares ETF Trust Nuveen International Aggregate Bond ETF 705% $200.0M 0.00%
XBB BondBloxx BB-Rated USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF 578% $57.2M +0.05%
JFLX JPMorgan Flexible Debt ETF 493% $16.2M -0.12%
CMBS iShares CMBS ETF 489% $15.8M +0.12%
XEMD BondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETF 417% $25.4M -0.08%
RAVI FlexShares Ultra-Short Income Fund 360% $14.9M +0.01%
BSCV Invesco BulletShares 2031 Corporate Bond ETF 299% $17.6M +0.12%
EMHY iShares J.P. Morgan EM High Yield Bond ETF 267% $11.6M -0.44%
BSJQ Invesco BulletShares 2026 High Yield Corp Bond ETF 264% $13.3M -0.02%
FTSL First Trust Senior Loan Fund 231% $26.8M -0.05%

Commodities

Commodity activity was subdued, with total volume of $7.8B coming in at just 61% of the 30-day average. While overall action was quiet, the Commodity: Focused – Agriculture category showed relative strength (finishing the day down -0.67%). There were no significant high-volume category breakouts, and individual ticker outliers were notably absent, reflecting a lackluster session for the asset class.

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.

Crypto

Digital Asset ETFs saw robust trading with $12.0B in volume, representing 140% of the 30-day average. The flow was dominated by the Digital Asset: Cryptocurrency – Bitcoin category (finishing the day down -2.57%), largely driven by heavy turnover in ETHE (closing -3.27%) and FBTC (-2.98%), as investors navigated increased volatility in the crypto space.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Digital Asset: Cryptocurrency – Bitcoin 149% $9.2B -2.57%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
ETHE Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF 197% $427.7M -3.27%
FBTC Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund 194% $1.2B -2.98%
GBTC Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF 165% $808.4M -3.00%

Currencies

Currency ETFs traded $95.8M, reaching 126% of the 30-day average. While volume was elevated, activity was broad-based with no specific categories meeting the threshold for high-volume breakouts.

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.

Alternatives

Alternatives experienced a massive surge in activity, with $4.1B in volume representing 242% of the 30-day average. The session was defined by the Alternative: Volatility – Long category (finishing the day down +7.29%) and Alternative: Volatility – Short (-2.93%). This explosion in volume was largely driven by heavy turnover in VXX (closing +6.84%) and VIXY (+6.51%), indicating aggressive hedging and speculation.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Alternative: Volatility – Short 269% $637.1M -2.93%
Alternative: Volatility – Long 242% $3.5B +7.29%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
VXX iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN 323% $1.3B +6.84%
VIXY ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF 245% $327.0M +6.51%
UVXY ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF 209% $1.0B +10.88%
SVOL Simplify Volatility Premium ETF 193% $15.1M -1.16%

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional funds saw heightened engagement with $62.1B in volume (142% of the 30-day average). Traders focused heavily on the Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Equity category (finishing the day down -1.05%) and Non-Traditional: Synthetic Income – Equity (-1.48%). This activity was largely driven by heavy turnover in SPXS (closing +4.71%) and QDVO (-1.72%), underscoring demand for tactical and income-focused exposures.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Equity 157% $38.8B -1.05%
Non-Traditional: Synthetic Income – Equity 142% $2.8B -1.48%
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Single Stock 130% $15.2B -6.13%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
SPXS Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bear 3x Shares 362% $937.8M +4.71%
QDVO Amplify CWP Growth & Income ETF 323% $37.2M -1.72%
UDOW ProShares UltraPro Dow30 301% $1.1B -2.39%
TECL Direxion Daily Technology Bull 3x Shares 278% $568.8M -9.39%
GGLL Direxion Daily GOOGL Bull 2X Shares 270% $439.8M -2.74%
NVDX T-Rex 2X Long NVIDIA Daily Target ETF 248% $552.6M -6.11%
MUU Direxion Daily MU Bull 2X Shares 239% $201.3M -20.82%
IDVO Amplify CWP International Enhanced Dividend Income ETF 229% $14.2M -2.47%
PDEC Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – December 220% $8.3M -1.04%
AIPI REX AI Equity Premium Income ETF 204% $12.1M -2.86%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset ETFs traded $168.4M, representing 91% of the 30-day average. Activity was relatively muted, though the Asset Allocation: Target Risk – Aggressive category saw isolated interest (finishing the day down -1.15%). High activity was largely driven by heavy turnover in AOA (closing -1.05%), standing out in an otherwise quiet session for the asset class.

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
AOA iShares Core 80/20 Aggressive Allocation ETF 151% $11.6M -1.05%

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.