Most-Active Stocks by Dollar Volume

Most-active stocks are companies with the most shares traded or the highest dollar volume of shares traded over one trading day. A stock may experience above-average trading volume when important new information affecting the stock's valuation is made known to the public. This creates pressure among investors to either buy or sell the stock, leading to heavier trading volume and strong price momentum in the stock. Learn more.

How to trade the most active stocks

There is a large difference between trading and investing. Investors tend to take long-term positions in the stocks that they are buying. A stock that is showing aggressive price movement or significant movement in trading volume on a given day is not likely to change an investor's underlying opinion about a stock. However, active traders know that the difference between a successful trade often comes down to finding the most actively traded stocks. To find this, traders look at the most active stocks list for a given exchange.

The most active stock list shows the stocks that have the highest trading volume for a specified time, usually a trading day. Although most financial news sites will show most active sites in terms of dollar volume and trading volume, individual investors are typically only concerned about the most active stocks in terms of the trading volume. The stocks that are most active in terms of dollar volume tend to be the domain of large institutional investors.

The list of most active stocks is a subset of stocks that have a high average daily trading volume (ADTV). As part of their technical analysis, ADTV helps traders determine when to enter (buy) or exit (sell) a position they have in a security. These investors are typically looking to buy and sell a security, oftentimes in the same day. For that reason, they use average daily trading volume to select securities.  

Introduction

One way to measure demand for a stock is to look at trading volume. One of the common ways to measure demand for a stock is the average daily trading volume (ADTV). A stock is an active stock when its ADTV is exceptionally high. The stocks that are the most active in terms of volume or dollars being traded make a daily list of most active stocks. In this article, we'll define what the most active stocks mean and why a stock may make the most active list. We'll also go over a list of strategies that traders can use to narrow down the most active list to identify their best trading opportunities.

What are the most active stocks?

The most active stocks are the stocks that have the highest trading volume over a defined period, typically one trading day. The most active stocks are listed for every major stock exchange (New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ, AMEX, etc.). In many cases, most active stocks are divided into two categories: most active by dollar volume and most active by trading volume. Because most active does not designate which direction a stock is moving, the most active stocks may also be listed as daily winners and losers. Knowing what stocks are most active by dollar volume is typically more important to institutional investors and large hedge fund managers that have to execute large block trades. Individual investors, particularly day traders will pay more attention to the most active stocks by volume because this is the metric that helps ensure they can efficiently enter and exit trades at the price they want.

What causes a stock to be most active?

In many cases, a stock becomes most active because there has been a significant change in stock price. Such a change is usually caused by a newsworthy event. A positive earnings report can generate interest in the stock causing the price to rise. Conversely, a negative earnings report can put selling pressure on the stock, causing the price to decline. This increased trading volume can stay in place for a while as other investors jump in for fear of missing out (FOMO).

However, some stocks are consistently on the most active list simply because they are popular companies. Amazon and Apple are good examples of stocks that are consistently among the most active stocks regardless of what is happening with the stock.

How “most active” stocks are different from active stocks

Simply put, all of the most active stocks for a given trading day are active stocks. However, not all “active stocks” make the most active list for the day. An active stock is a stock that is generating a lot of trading activity throughout a given trading day. The reasons why these stocks are active are the same as the reason why a stock makes the most active list (i.e. there is usually some news about the company that is generating interest in the stock).

Active stocks (and therefore most active stocks) have a large number of outstanding shares being traded. Outstanding shares are the number of shares of stock that a company has issued and can be bought and sold by public and institutional investors. These are sometimes referred to as shares in float and are different from the number of authorized shares a company may issue.

Another common characteristic of active stocks is a high amount of liquidity. Liquidity in the form of active stocks simply means there is high demand for a stock. If a stock is experiencing a high trading volume, it is usually a signal that there is a high demand that makes it easier to buy and sell. At different times, an asset class may go through periods where they exhibit more or less liquidity. For example, if a trader is attempting to trade stocks in after-hours trading, they may find a lack of buyers. And most traders know that volume tends to peak at the beginning and the end of a trading day.

How to trade the most active stocks

The list of most active stocks can be a useful guide for investors. It is sometimes called a road map for day traders. But with so many options to choose from, how can traders know which stocks to choose? Here are some trading strategies that any investor can apply.

1. Assign a minimum and maximum percentage move (expressed in +/- terms) in price level and look for stocks that fit that range– All of the most active stocks are volatile. But it’s possible to have too much or too little volatility. The reason to choose a minimum percentage move is to ensure that the stocks you choose have enough price movement to get the return a trader needs. Conversely, the reason to assign a maximum value is to avoid having a stock that the stock can have too much movement which could trigger any trailing stops an investor has in place which can add risk.
2. Assign an appropriate volume – Just because a stock is active does not mean it trades with enough volume to allow traders to easily move in and out of trades. For example, if a stock is up 10% but does not trade a high volume of shares. Most traders want to see volume that is measured in tens of thousands of shares in a specified time (like five minutes). Once you find a stock whose price has moved up or down within the range you specify, make sure it is trading at a high enough volume to let you easily enter and exit a trade.
3. Focus on one index – Once you have assigned your percentage range and volume, look at the major indices and focus your attention on the index that has the most stocks that meet those criteria. Most trading platforms will break down the most active stocks by one of the major indices (NYSE, NASDAQ, or AMEX).
4. Pay attention to the stocks that are most active in the pre-market trading period– This can allow you to monitor technical indicators such as support and resistance levels for stocks that meet your criteria.
5. Pay less attention to the after-hours most active list– After-hours trading can be very volatile, but news that breaks immediately after the market closes does not always continue in the same direction once pre-market trading begins the following day.
6. Know how to interpret the most active by dollar volume list – This list largely exists for the institutional investors and large hedge funds that are making block trades with large sums of money. While it may help keep you abreast of larger trends in particular sectors. In general, investors who are trading the most active list are looking for individual stocks that are trading actively on their own merits.

The final word on most active stocks

Active traders have many strategies for executing successful trades. One of the common sorting metrics they use is to find stocks that have high volume (liquidity) and show a particular percentage price movement. When a stock is trading at exceptionally high volume, it is considered to be one of the “most active” stocks.

Every day, investors can get a list of the most active stocks for a given exchange (NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, etc.). This list can be quite extensive so many traders use different strategies to help filter the list to identify stocks that meet their specific trading criteria.