Concentrated Sector Rotation: First Trust Outliers Lead Activity in $292B Session

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Macro Summary

Total market volume reached $291.8B for the session, representing an activity level of 111% relative to the 30-day average. The day was defined by a Significant Surge in Commodities and Defensive Rotation, as Precious Metals and Energy categories saw volume spikes exceeding 180% of normal levels. Equity markets remained active but relatively balanced, while Fixed Income saw concentrated interest in Taxable and Emerging USD segments.

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $188.2B $180.0B 105%
Fixed Income $30.8B $27.2B 113%
Commodities $28.6B $15.5B 184%
Digital Asset $5.5B $5.7B 97%
Currencies $122.3M $68.2M 179%
Alternatives $917.8M $906.7M 101%
Non-Traditional $37.5B $32.5B 116%
Multi-Asset $201.7M $197.9M 102%

Equity

The Equity asset class recorded $188.2B in volume, slightly above its ADV at 105%. Activity was highly concentrated in specific sectors, notably Utilities (242%) and Health Care (164%), while broad U.S. Large Cap Blend remained muted. International markets saw strength in Latin America (269%) and Global Large Cap Growth (201%).

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
Equity: Region – Latin America 269% $264.2M +1.35%
Equity: Sector – Utilities 242% $2.2B -0.56%
Equity: Global Ex-U.S. Large Cap – Growth 201% $476.6M +0.37%
Equity: Thematic – Sustainability 196% $275.6M +0.19%
Equity: Sector – Materials 188% $1.1B +0.66%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
FBT First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund 13018% $1.5B -1.20%
FXU First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund 3426% $824.5M -0.66%
FXO First Trust Financials AlphaDEX Fund 1743% $165.8M -1.39%
FTXL First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF 1494% $237.7M -2.47%
EFIV State Street SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETF 947% $23.9M +0.00%
VNQI Vanguard Global ex-U.S. Real Estate ETF 932% $116.8M -0.02%
IYJ iShares U.S. Industrials ETF 735% $95.8M -1.04%
IGE iShares North American Natural Resources ETF 717% $45.7M +0.96%
INFL Horizon Kinetics Inflation Beneficiaries ETF 610% $44.2M +0.42%
MISL First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF 517% $297.3M -0.96%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income volume was $30.8B (113% of ADV). The session saw pronounced activity in Emerging USD (231%) and Inflation Protected (188%) categories. Taxable Government segments also saw elevated trading, particularly in the Long-Term and 10-Year note proxies.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
Fixed Income: Taxable – Emerging USD 231% $1.5B +0.25%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Inflation Protected 188% $1.1B +0.16%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Bank Loans 157% $637.2M -0.01%
Fixed Income: Taxable – International 155% $57.9M +0.51%
Fixed Income: Municipal – Long 148% $54.3M +0.06%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
FLBL Franklin Senior Loan ETF Franklin Liberty Senior Loan Fund 1810% $95.5M +0.53%
DFCA Dimensional California Municipal Bond ETF 755% $19.4M +0.04%
TUSI Touchstone Ultra Short Income ETF 680% $17.4M +0.04%
FLHY Franklin High Yield Corporate ETF 604% $21.1M -0.06%
UTEN US Treasury 10 Year Note ETF 595% $17.8M +0.14%
PCY Invesco Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt ETF 566% $40.8M +0.21%
EVTR Eaton Vance Total Return Bond ETF 438% $107.5M +0.11%
ISTB iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF 428% $80.2M +0.04%
NBSD Neuberger Berman Short Duration Income ETF 375% $27.5M +0.05%
IGOV iShares International Treasury Bond ETF 350% $32.0M +0.63%

Commodities

The Commodities asset class was a major outlier, with volume of $28.6B (184% of ADV). Precious Metals led the charge with volume nearly double its average (188%), driving heavy participation in silver and gold proxies. Industrial Metals also showed substantial activity at 232%.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
Commodity: Focused – Industrial Metals 232% $103.6M +2.39%
Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals 188% $27.5B +2.99%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
CPER United States Copper Index Fund 254% $91.4M +2.44%
IAU iShares Gold Trust 215% $1.8B +1.35%
GLTR abrdn Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF 207% $71.9M +4.64%
DJP iPath Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return ETN 204% $6.1M +2.12%
SLV iShares Silver Trust 204% $12.9B +6.83%
DBC Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund 185% $21.5M +1.87%
CMDT PIMCO Commodity Strategy Active ETF 166% $8.2M +1.26%

Digital Asset

Digital Asset volume was $5.5B (97% of ADV). Trading was balanced across major cryptocurrency types, with Bitcoin and Ethereum proxies tracking near their 30-day averages. Multicoin strategies saw a small activity uptick at 130%.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
BITW Bitwise 10 Crypto Index ETF 157% $11.1M +0.08%

Currencies

Currency ETFs saw volume of $122.3M (179% of ADV). Activity was concentrated in major currency trusts, particularly the Japanese Yen (313%) and Swiss Franc (226%), reflecting safe-haven flows and FX volatility.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
Currency 179% $122.3M +0.36%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
FXY Invesco Currencyshares Japanese Yen Trust 313% $30.6M +1.73%
FXF Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust 226% $17.5M +1.08%
FXE Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Trust 189% $17.9M +0.64%

Alternatives

Alternatives volume reached $917.8M (101% of ADV). The asset class saw balanced activity with minor outliers in Absolute Return Event Driven (132%) and Managed Futures (115%). Long Volatility strategies also maintained steady participation levels.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
Alternative: Absolute Return – Event Driven 132% $3.4M -0.22%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional volume totaled $37.5B (116% of ADV). Leverage and Inverse strategies for Commodities (167%) and Fixed Income (159%) saw the highest activity percentages, while Buffer strategies for Fixed Income (390%) saw localized volume spikes.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Commodity 167% $4.2B +1.23%
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Fixed Income 159% $383.0M -0.01%
Non-Traditional: Synthetic Income – Commodity 128% $63.3M +1.75%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
WTPI WisdomTree Equity Premium Income Fund 472% $18.2M +0.03%
FTHI First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF 429% $57.9M +0.06%
IRE Defiance Daily Target 2X Long IREN ETF 286% $369.1M +16.87%
MSFU Direxion Daily MSFT Bull 2X Shares 272% $89.8M +6.38%
AMDL GraniteShares 2x Long AMD Daily ETF 241% $322.6M +4.39%
BOIL ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Natural Gas 211% $580.9M +8.69%
ETHT ProShares Ultra Ether ETF 209% $102.2M +0.64%
IWMI NEOS Russell 2000 High Income ETF 203% $27.7M -0.85%
AGQ ProShares Ultra Silver 177% $2.3B +14.22%
TMF Direxion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X Shares 155% $289.4M +0.62%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset volume was $201.7M (102% of ADV). Activity was largely centered in Target Risk Global Macro (114%) and Specialty Real Assets (112%). Broad Conservative and Aggressive target risk sleeves remained quiet.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity $ Volume 1D Return
No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity $ Volume 1D Return
No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

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.