Holiday Lull & Heavy Metals: Commodities Spike in Shortened Session

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Macro Summary

Trading activity across the ETF landscape was notably quiet on Wednesday due to an early market close, with total volume clocking in at just 42% of the 30-day average. However, the Commodity asset class proved to be a distinct outlier, trading at 106% of its typical daily volume. This surge was primarily driven by the Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals category (which fell 0.90% on the day), seeing elevated interest despite the broader market lull. Specific weakness in palladium and platinum contributed to the volatility, exemplified by heavy turnover in abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF (closing -1.72%).

Asset Class Summary

Asset Class $ Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $77.4B $200.6B 39%
Fixed Income $14.4B $28.9B 50%
Commodity $9.6B $9.0B 106%
Digital Asset $2.6B $7.3B 35%
Currency $41.5M $80.0M 52%
Alternative $318.8M $1.3B 24%
Non-Traditional $14.9B $38.4B 39%
Multi-Asset $116.3M $178.4M 65%

Equity

The Equity asset class saw total trading volume of $77.4B, representing 39% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Equity: Region – Asia-Pacific Ex-Japan category (finishing the day up 0.25%), largely driven by heavy turnover in iShares Asia 50 ETF (closing +0.60%). Additionally, the Equity: U.S. Small Cap – Value category (up 0.37%) saw significant interest, highlighted by activity in Vanguard Russell 2000 Value ETF (closing +0.38%).

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
VTWV Vanguard Russell 2000 Value ETF 766% $19.5M +0.38%
BBIN JPMorgan BetaBuilders International Equity ETF 730% $62.5M +0.09%
VTHR Vanguard Russell 3000 ETF 463% $62.8M +0.32%
ESGU iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF 243% $224.1M +0.31%
PICK iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF 200% $40.4M +0.44%
IEV iShares Europe ETF 184% $21.2M +0.23%
AIA iShares Asia 50 ETF 180% $48.3M +0.60%
MFSI MFS Active International ETF 180% $9.5M +0.16%
VNM VanEck Vietnam ETF 177% $24.2M -0.26%
IVOV Vanguard S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF 174% $5.5M +0.18%

Fixed Income

The Fixed Income asset class saw total trading volume of $14.4B, representing 50% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Fixed Income: Municipal – Short category (finishing the day down 0.03%), largely driven by heavy turnover in JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Income ETF (closing +0.01%). Additionally, the Fixed Income: Specialty – Defined Maturity category (up 0.17%) saw significant interest, highlighted by activity in iShares iBonds 2027 Term High Yield and Income ETF (closing +0.16%).

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
IBHG iShares iBonds 2027 Term High Yield and Income ETF 343% $11.6M +0.16%
GVI iShares Intermediate Government/Credit Bond ETF 332% $53.1M +0.19%
PSK State Street SPDR ICE Preferred Securities ETF 313% $14.1M +0.03%
XHLF BondBloxx Bloomberg Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF 247% $56.7M +0.04%
HFSI Hartford Strategic Income ETF 239% $17.1M +0.17%
IBTH iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Treasury ETF 206% $26.1M +0.03%
JMST JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Income ETF 202% $126.4M +0.01%
ISHG iShares 1-3 Year International Treasury Bond ETF 192% $7.1M +0.07%
DFNM Dimensional National Municipal Bond ETF 189% $15.8M +0.01%
FTSD Franklin Short Duration U.S. Government ETF 177% $6.0M +0.18%

Commodity

The Commodity asset class saw total trading volume of $9.6B, representing 106% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals category (finishing the day down 0.90%), largely driven by heavy turnover in abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF (closing -1.72%). Additionally, the Commodity: Focused – Industrial Metals category (up 0.32%) saw significant interest.

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
PPLT abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF 784% $724.3M -1.72%
PALL abrdn Physical Palladium Shares ETF 428% $248.6M -7.77%
SLV iShares Silver Trust 169% $3.8B +0.52%

Digital Asset

The Digital Asset asset class saw total trading volume of $2.6B, representing 35% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Digital Asset: Cryptocurrency – Multicoin category (finishing the day down 2.16%).

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.

Currency

The Currency asset class saw total trading volume of $41.5M, representing 52% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Currency category (finishing the day up 0.08%).

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.

Alternative

The Alternative asset class saw total trading volume of $318.8M, representing 24% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Alternative: Absolute Return – Event Driven category (finishing the day down 2.56%).

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

The Non-Traditional asset class saw total trading volume of $14.9B, representing 39% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Non-Traditional: Buffer – Equity category (finishing the day down 0.01%), largely driven by heavy turnover in FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – October (closing +0.20%). Additionally, the Non-Traditional: Currency Hedged – Single Stock category (up 0.16%) saw significant interest.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Buffer – Equity 143% $442.6M -0.01%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FOCT FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – October 1211% $46.6M +0.20%
FNOV FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – November 923% $48.0M +0.15%
GDEC FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – December 901% $41.6M +0.20%
ASTX Tradr 2X Long ASTS Daily ETF 326% $170.3M -17.64%
CSHI NEOS Enhanced Income 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF 177% $20.1M -0.27%
USOI UBS AG ETRACS Crude Oil Shares Covered Call ETNs due April 24; 2037 175% $7.7M -0.16%
AGQ ProShares Ultra Silver 160% $647.5M +0.91%

Multi-Asset

The Multi-Asset asset class saw total trading volume of $116.3M, representing 65% of its 30-day average. Activity was notably driven by the Asset Allocation: Target Risk – Global Macro category (finishing the day down 0.14%).

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.

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.