Commodities Roar: Metals Surge +3.9% While Equities Sleep

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Macro Summary

Total market volume settled at $163.7B, representing just 58% of the 30-day average, signaling a generally quiet session for most asset classes. However, this calm was dramatically disrupted by the Commodity asset class, which traded at 203% of its average volume. This surge was primarily driven by frenetic activity in Precious Metals (closing up 3.94%) and Industrial Metals (+2.54%), where traders aggressively bid up hard assets while Equities and Fixed Income remained dormant.

Asset Class Summary

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $101.7B $197.5B 51%
Fixed Income $17.1B $28.3B 60%
Commodity $18.1B $8.9B 203%
Digital Asset $4.2B $7.2B 58%
Currency $47.9M $79.5M 60%
Alternative $489.0M $1.3B 37%
Non-Traditional $21.9B $37.6B 58%
Multi-Asset $150.3M $170.8M 88%

Equity

Equity trading was light, with $101.7B in volume representing just 51% of the 30-day average. Despite the low aggregate figures, significant rotation occurred in the Equity: Thematic – Precious Metals category (finishing the day up 2.88%) and Equity: Region – Asia-Pacific category (closing up 0.23%). This activity was notably fueled by IAI (closing +0.04%), which saw turnover more than 8x its average, and heavy volumes in COPX (+3.14%) as investors chased the rally in underlying metals.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Region – Asia-Pacific 149% $115.7M +0.23%
Equity: Thematic – Precious Metals 129% $3.5B +2.88%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
IAI iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF 833% $147.2M +0.04%
FIDU Fidelity MSCI Industrial Index ETF 412% $18.6M -0.32%
IDMO Invesco S&P International Developed Momentum ETF 357% $63.2M -0.14%
EPP iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Japan ETF 355% $55.8M +0.40%
FDIS Fidelity MSCI Consumer Discretionary Index ETF 306% $24.5M -0.30%
EWS iShares MSCI Singapore ETF 239% $57.1M +0.05%
AVRE Avantis Real Estate ETF 225% $5.9M +0.05%
BBIN JPMorgan BetaBuilders International Equity ETF 225% $23.5M +0.14%
FCOM Fidelity MSCI Communication Services Index ETF 223% $19.6M -0.37%
SLVP iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF 219% $33.6M +3.27%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income flows were subdued, recording $17.1B in total volume (60% of the 30-day average). With no categories meeting the high-volume threshold, activity was idiosyncratic rather than broad-based. Outliers like AVIG (closing up 0.10%) and CLIP (+0.02%) saw significantly elevated turnover relative to their norms, highlighting pockets of reallocation within an otherwise quiet bond market.

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
AVIG Avantis Core Fixed Income ETF 458% $34.8M +0.10%
CLIP Global X 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF 303% $89.8M +0.02%
ZROZ PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon US Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund 214% $53.2M -0.69%
CGHM Capital Group Municipal High-Income ETF 202% $14.8M -0.02%
YLD Principal Active High Yield ETF 178% $5.1M -0.03%
NYF iShares New York Muni Bond ETF 177% $11.0M -0.06%
SHM State Street SPDR Nuveen ICE Short Term Municipal Bond ETF 173% $15.7M -0.06%
TAFI AB Tax-Aware Short Duration Municipal ETF 171% $10.1M -0.08%
IBTH iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Treasury ETF 169% $22.3M +0.04%
TBUX T. Rowe Price Ultra Short-Term Bond ETF 166% $11.9M +0.07%

Commodities

Commodities were the undisputed epicenter of market action, trading at a staggering 203% of their average volume. The frenzy was concentrated in the Commodity: Focused – Industrial Metals category (up 2.54%) and the Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals category (+3.94%), the latter seeing over $17.3B in turnover. This exceptional activity was driven by massive inflows into PPLT (closing +7.81%) and CPER (+4.91%), both of which traded at multiples of their average daily volume.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Commodity: Focused – Industrial Metals 572% $112.1M +2.54%
Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals 212% $17.3B +3.94%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
PPLT abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF 731% $838.0M +7.81%
CPER United States Copper Index Fund 523% $79.6M +4.91%
SLV iShares Silver Trust 420% $9.6B +9.10%
SIVR abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF 383% $523.2M +8.91%
BCI abrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF 165% $29.7M +1.11%
DBC Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund 155% $15.6M +0.29%
DBA Invesco DB Agriculture Fund 153% $8.1M +0.06%

Digital Asset

Digital Assets mirrored the broader market’s lethargy, with $4.2B in volume reaching just 58% of the average. While major categories like Bitcoin were quiet, selective interest persisted, evidenced by activity in BRRR (closing up 0.32%).

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
BRRR Coinshares Bitcoin ETF 156% $12.5M +0.32%

Currency

Currency volumes were thin, totaling just $47.9M (60% of the 30-day average). There were no notable high-volume categories or specific ticker outliers, reflecting a lack of conviction in FX markets for the day.

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

Alternative strategies saw very light engagement, with volume of $489.0M coming in at just 37% of the average. The lack of volatility suppression or enhancement activity resulted in no high-volume categories or significant ticker outliers.

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

Non-Traditional assets traded $21.9B, or 58% of their 30-day average. However, the Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Commodity category bucked the trend, surging to 259% of its average volume (closing up 0.45%). This was largely driven by heavy turnover in AGQ (+19.27%) and USOI (-1.87%), as traders utilized leveraged tools to amplify the day’s significant commodity moves.

High-Volume Categories (>$100M Traded)

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Commodity 259% $3.2B +0.45%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
AGQ ProShares Ultra Silver 497% $2.1B +19.27%
USOI UBS AG ETRACS Crude Oil Shares Covered Call ETNs due April 24; 2037 239% $10.9M -1.87%
UGL ProShares Ultra Gold 176% $323.7M +2.40%
AIPI REX AI Equity Premium Income ETF 160% $11.4M +0.99%
CSHI NEOS Enhanced Income 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF 159% $18.7M -0.01%
FEPI REX FANG & Innovation Equity Premium Income ETF 151% $10.3M -0.10%
TSYY GraniteShares YieldBOOST TSLA ETF 151% $22.3M -4.34%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset trading was relatively healthy compared to other classes, with $150.3M in volume reaching 88% of the average. Despite this stability, no specific categories met the high-volume thresholds, and no individual tickers stood out as significant outliers.

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.