Safe-Haven Surge: Precious Metals and Currencies Dominate $280B ETF Session

Share

Macro Summary

The trading session on January 27, 2026, was characterized by an elevated market turnover of $280.5B, representing 107% of the 30-day average. The narrative of the day was defined by a massive surge in Precious Metals and Currency activity, as investors reacted to global macro shifts. Commodity ETFs saw volume swell to 241% of their average, while Currency products traded at 281% of typical levels. Conversely, the core Equity and Alternative classes saw slightly muted participation, indicating a concentrated rotation into specific tactical and safe-haven exposures.

Asset Class Volume 30D Avg. % of 30D Avg.
Equity $165.3B $176.9B 93%
Fixed Income $29.0B $27.2B 107%
Commodity $43.0B $17.8B 241%
Digital Asset $6.0B $5.6B 106%
Currency $211.4M $75.2M 281%
Alternative $657.5M $862.4M 76%
Non-Traditional $36.1B $32.3B 112%
Multi-Asset $209.9M $200.5M 105%

Equity

Equity volume reached $165.3B (93% of ADV). Despite lower-than-average broad activity, specific pockets like Thematic – Precious Metals (183% activity) and Emerging Large Cap (168% activity) saw heavy flows. Notable individual movers included EEM (+1.99%) and SHLD (+2.32%).

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Equity: Thematic – Precious Metals 183% $6.2B +1.42%
Equity: Thematic – Natural Resources 188% $2.5B +1.52%
Equity: Emerging Large Cap 168% $6.8B +1.67%
Equity: Region – Country Specific 165% $9.9B +1.24%
Equity: Sector – Utilities 156% $1.4B +1.11%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
REGL ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF 1380% $49.5M -0.02%
EWN iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF 1227% $66.0M +1.39%
MDYG State Street SPDR S&P 400 Mid Cap Growth ETF 861% $54.8M +0.27%
IAI iShares U.S. Broker-Dealers & Securities Exchanges ETF 690% $128.9M -0.42%
ESGE iShares ESG Aware MSCI EM ETF 559% $196.0M +1.59%
EWM iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF 541% $38.9M +1.92%
XTN State Street SPDR S&P Transportation ETF 534% $22.9M -0.71%
MOO VanEck Agribusiness ETF 454% $63.9M +1.34%
XPH State Street SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF 456% $26.3M +0.60%
IHF iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF 390% $57.7M -9.68%

Fixed Income

Fixed Income volume was $29.0B (107% of ADV). Significant activity was observed in International Taxable debt, which traded at an astonishing 938% of average volume. Bank Loans also remained in focus, trading at 271% of typical levels. Outlier activity was led by BWX (+0.75%) and UITB (-0.12%).

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Fixed Income: Taxable – International 938% $366.8M +0.95%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Emerging 326% $293.3M +0.21%
Fixed Income: Taxable – Bank Loans 271% $1.1B -0.19%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
BWX SPDR Bloomberg International Treasury Bond ETF 2537% $302.3M +0.75%
UITB VictoryShares Core Intermediate Bond ETF 1954% $121.1M -0.12%
IBTL iShares iBonds Dec 2031 Term Treasury ETF 1062% $32.9M -0.00%
FLBL Franklin Senior Loan ETF 653% $59.0M -0.17%
SRLN State Street Blackstone Senior Loan ETF 482% $597.9M -0.01%
XHLF BondBloxx Six Month Target Duration US Treasury ETF 407% $88.4M +0.03%
EMLC VanEck EM Local Currency Bond ETF 402% $249.3M +0.82%
HYBB iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF 398% $20.0M -0.01%
PSK State Street SPDR ICE Preferred Securities ETF 330% $14.3M -0.20%
PCY Invesco Emerging Markets Sovereign Debt ETF 326% $27.7M -0.35%

Commodity

The Commodity asset class stole the spotlight today with volume reaching $43.0B (241% of ADV). This was almost entirely driven by Precious Metals, which saw nearly 247% of its normal activity. IAUM (+2.36%) and BAR (+2.45%) were primary drivers of this outlier move.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals 247% $41.7B +1.37%
Commodity: Multi-Sector – Broad Market 127% $230.8M +1.28%
Commodity: Focused – Energy 143% $944.0M +2.00%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
BAR GraniteShares Gold Shares 363% $135.0M +2.45%
IAUM iShares Gold Trust Micro ETF 362% $572.8M +2.36%
AAAU Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF 359% $372.0M +2.35%
CMDY iShares Bloomberg Roll Select Commodity Strategy ETF 341% $9.9M +1.14%

Digital Asset

Digital Assets recorded $6.0B in volume (106% of ADV). Returns were broadly positive across the class, led by Ethereum products which saw a one-day return of +3.89%. Activity remained balanced with no individual tickers crossing our high-activity outlier threshold for this session.

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.

Currency

Currency ETFs experienced a massive spike in activity, trading at 281% of their 30-day average. The primary focus was on major foreign exchange trusts, with FXE (+1.27%) and FXF (+1.88%) leading the session turnover.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Currency 281% $211.4M +0.52%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
FXE Invesco CurrencyShares Euro Trust 451% $48.7M +1.27%
FXF Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust 409% $38.7M +1.88%

Alternative

Alternative ETFs traded on light volume today, reaching just $657.5M (76% of ADV). Despite the broad quiet, Managed Futures saw a surge in interest, trading at 232% of its average. DBMF was the standout performer, gaining +1.93% on significantly elevated volume.

High-Volume Categories

No items met the inclusion criteria for this session.

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
DBMF iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF 340% $66.2M +1.93%

Non-Traditional

The Non-Traditional segment saw $36.1B in volume (112% of ADV). Activity was concentrated in Leverage | Inverse – Commodity products, which traded at nearly 3x their normal volume as silver and gold volatility increased. AGQ saw a notable +6.13% gain on 340% activity.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Non-Traditional: Leverage | Inverse – Commodity 294% $8.7B -0.21%
Non-Traditional: Synthetic Income – Commodity 219% $117.6M +1.86%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
QDPL Pacer Metaurus US Large Cap Dividend Multiplier 400 ETF 588% $33.8M +0.35%
ROM ProShares Ultra Technology 350% $9.2M +2.53%
AGQ ProShares Ultra Silver 340% $5.6B +6.13%
ZALT Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF 258% $9.5M +0.09%
USOI UBS ETRACS Crude Oil Covered Call ETNs 245% $41.3M +1.52%
KORU Direxion MSCI Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares 216% $57.6M +14.08%
IRE Defiance Daily Target 2X Long IREN ETF 209% $288.1M +27.88%
NUGT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull 2x Shares 195% $267.8M +3.57%

Multi-Asset

Multi-Asset volume was $209.9M (105% of ADV). Activity was largely concentrated in Global Macro strategies, which saw 188% of their normal turnover. ALLW (+0.60%) was the primary outlier for the session.

High-Volume Categories

Category Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1-Day Return
Asset Allocation: Target Risk – Global Macro 188% $42.9M +0.69%

High-Activity Ticker Outliers

Ticker Name Activity vs ADV $ Volume 1D Return
ALLW SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF 206% $23.1M +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.