S&P 500   3,948.72
DOW   32,105.25
QQQ   309.75
Why Wall Street Loves These 3 Penny Stocks
Bank Accounts: Frozen! (Ad)
3 Leading Dividend Stocks Expected To Grow Earnings
Chewy Stock Is Setting Up For Long-Term Profitable Growth 
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
Low Volume Bunge Plunge Presents an Opportunity
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
KB Home Strong Results Lift Prices
Carvana May Be Able To Reach Profitability This Year
S&P 500   3,948.72
DOW   32,105.25
QQQ   309.75
Why Wall Street Loves These 3 Penny Stocks
Bank Accounts: Frozen! (Ad)
3 Leading Dividend Stocks Expected To Grow Earnings
Chewy Stock Is Setting Up For Long-Term Profitable Growth 
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
Low Volume Bunge Plunge Presents an Opportunity
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
KB Home Strong Results Lift Prices
Carvana May Be Able To Reach Profitability This Year
S&P 500   3,948.72
DOW   32,105.25
QQQ   309.75
Why Wall Street Loves These 3 Penny Stocks
Bank Accounts: Frozen! (Ad)
3 Leading Dividend Stocks Expected To Grow Earnings
Chewy Stock Is Setting Up For Long-Term Profitable Growth 
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
Low Volume Bunge Plunge Presents an Opportunity
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
KB Home Strong Results Lift Prices
Carvana May Be Able To Reach Profitability This Year
S&P 500   3,948.72
DOW   32,105.25
QQQ   309.75
Why Wall Street Loves These 3 Penny Stocks
Bank Accounts: Frozen! (Ad)
3 Leading Dividend Stocks Expected To Grow Earnings
Chewy Stock Is Setting Up For Long-Term Profitable Growth 
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
Low Volume Bunge Plunge Presents an Opportunity
Modern Day Options Trading For Beginners! (Ad)pixel
KB Home Strong Results Lift Prices
Carvana May Be Able To Reach Profitability This Year

Most Active Stocks by Dollar Volume

Most active stocks, also known as volume leaders, are public companies with the highest volume of shares traded or the highest dollar volume of shares traded during the most recent trading day. A stock may experience above-average trading volume when important new information that impacts its valuation is made known to the public. This creates pressure among investors to either buy or sell the company's shares, leading to heavier trading volume and strong price momentum in the stock. How to trade the most active stocks.

MarketRank evaluates a company based on community opinion, dividend strength, institutional and insider ownership, earnings and valuation, and analysts forecasts.
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Analyst ConsensusUpgrade to All Access to use the All Ratings Filter
CompanyCurrent PriceVolumeAverage VolumeDollar VolumeIndicator(s)
Tesla, Inc. stock logo
TSLA
Tesla
$192.22
+0.6%
143.36 million180.26 million$27.56 billionAnalyst Revision
Gap Up
Invesco QQQ Trust stock logo
QQQ
Invesco QQQ Trust
$309.75
+1.2%
73.52 million58.42 million$22.77 billionDividend Cut
NVIDIA Co. stock logo
NVDA
NVIDIA
$271.91
+2.7%
56.18 million51.34 million$15.28 billionAnalyst Report
Analyst Revision
Gap Up
Apple Inc. stock logo
AAPL
Apple
$158.93
+0.7%
67.22 million70.43 million$10.68 billion
Microsoft Co. stock logo
MSFT
Microsoft
$277.66
+2.0%
36.38 million33.38 million$10.10 billionGap Up
Block, Inc. stock logo
SQ
Block
$61.88
-14.8%
139.79 million14.95 million$8.65 billionGap Down
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. stock logo
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices
$100.28
+2.8%
83.31 million63.06 million$8.35 billionGap Up
ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ stock logo
SQQQ
ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ
$32.69
-3.5%
188.56 million141.92 million$6.16 billionDividend Increase
Amazon.com, Inc. stock logo
AMZN
Amazon.com
$98.71
+0.0%
57.31 million70.28 million$5.66 billionInsider Selling
Meta Platforms, Inc. stock logo
META
Meta Platforms
$204.28
+2.2%
27.17 million33.55 million$5.55 billionAnalyst Upgrade
Analyst Revision
Netflix, Inc. stock logo
NFLX
Netflix
$320.37
+9.0%
15.60 million7.86 million$5.00 billionAnalyst Report
Gap Up
ProShares UltraPro QQQ stock logo
TQQQ
ProShares UltraPro QQQ
$25.56
+3.6%
194.78 million192.44 million$4.98 billionDividend Increase
Alphabet Inc. stock logo
GOOGL
Alphabet
$105.60
+2.2%
40.57 million40.95 million$4.28 billion
Alphabet Inc. stock logo
GOOG
Alphabet
$106.26
+2.0%
31.34 million33.06 million$3.33 billion
Coinbase Global, Inc. stock logo
COIN
Coinbase Global
$66.30
-14.1%
43.03 million20.78 million$2.85 billionAnalyst Report
Insider Selling
Gap Down
Bank of America Co. stock logo
BAC
Bank of America
$26.97
-2.4%
104.50 million54.24 million$2.82 billionAnalyst Report
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF stock logo
TLT
iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF
$106.40
25.37 million21.97 million$2.70 billionPositive News
The Charles Schwab Co. stock logo
SCHW
Charles Schwab
$52.89
-6.0%
45.75 million20.52 million$2.42 billionAnalyst Report
Alibaba Group Holding Limited stock logo
BABA
Alibaba Group
$86.52
+3.4%
26.79 million21.62 million$2.32 billionGap Up
JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock logo
JPM
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
$126.84
-0.3%
16.60 million13.32 million$2.11 billionDividend Announcement
Analyst Report
Broadcom Inc. stock logo
AVGO
Broadcom
$639.23
+1.3%
2.71 million2.34 million$1.73 billionEx-Dividend
The Home Depot, Inc. stock logo
HD
Home Depot
$283.91
+0.5%
5.99 million3.88 million$1.70 billion
Salesforce, Inc. stock logo
CRM
Salesforce
$187.44
+0.5%
8.68 million9.43 million$1.63 billionInsider Selling
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stock logo
REGN
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
$802.16
+6.8%
1.99 million644,859$1.60 billionAnalyst Report
Gap Up
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated stock logo
UNH
UnitedHealth Group
$469.91
-1.2%
3.27 million3.67 million$1.54 billionAnalyst Downgrade
Exxon Mobil Co. stock logo
XOM
Exxon Mobil
$103.41
-1.1%
14.36 million17.40 million$1.48 billion
Micron Technology, Inc. stock logo
MU
Micron Technology
$61.34
+5.4%
23.84 million14.07 million$1.46 billionUpcoming Earnings
Visa Inc. stock logo
V
Visa
$222.59
+1.2%
6.43 million6.29 million$1.43 billionAnalyst Upgrade
Accenture plc stock logo
ACN
Accenture
$271.66
+7.3%
5.17 million2.35 million$1.40 billionEarnings Report
Dividend Announcement
Options Volume
Analyst Revision
News Coverage
Gap Up
VanEck Semiconductor ETF stock logo
SMH
VanEck Semiconductor ETF
$258.71
+2.7%
5.37 million4.08 million$1.39 billionPositive News
Johnson & Johnson stock logo
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
$151.13
+0.1%
9.04 million8.43 million$1.37 billionPositive News
PayPal Holdings, Inc. stock logo
PYPL
PayPal
$72.56
-2.4%
18.53 million13.64 million$1.34 billion
Intel Co. stock logo
INTC
Intel
$29.03
+3.2%
43.68 million45.92 million$1.27 billion
The Boeing Company stock logo
BA
Boeing
$197.90
+0.9%
6.24 million6.47 million$1.23 billionAnalyst Report
Chevron Co. stock logo
CVX
Chevron
$154.52
-1.0%
7.84 million9.15 million$1.21 billion
First Republic Bank stock logo
FRC
First Republic Bank
$12.53
-6.0%
95.58 million26.52 million$1.20 billionGap Up
Intuit Inc. stock logo
INTU
Intuit
$432.49
+4.4%
2.74 million1.63 million$1.18 billion
Adobe Inc. stock logo
ADBE
Adobe
$369.00
+2.0%
3.14 million3.10 million$1.16 billionAnalyst Report
Insider Selling
Analyst Revision
Gap Up
Wells Fargo & Company stock logo
WFC
Wells Fargo & Company
$36.61
-1.6%
29.99 million23.06 million$1.10 billion
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited stock logo
TSM
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
$94.59
+2.1%
11.06 million13.64 million$1.05 billionGap Up
Citigroup Inc. stock logo
C
Citigroup
$43.45
-0.6%
23.92 million20.50 million$1.04 billionAnalyst Report
Walmart Inc. stock logo
WMT
Walmart
$140.65
+0.8%
7.26 million6.43 million$1.02 billionInsider Selling
Oracle Co. stock logo
ORCL
Oracle
$87.78
-0.1%
10.74 million7.26 million$942.97 millionAnalyst Upgrade
NIKE, Inc. stock logo
NKE
NIKE
$120.97
+1.2%
7.60 million6.43 million$919.43 millionEarnings Report
Analyst Report
Analyst Revision
Mastercard Incorporated stock logo
MA
Mastercard
$354.37
+1.0%
2.59 million2.93 million$919.40 millionAnalyst Upgrade
Texas Instruments Incorporated stock logo
TXN
Texas Instruments
$180.28
+2.2%
5.07 million5.40 million$914.61 million
U.S. Bancorp stock logo
USB
U.S. Bancorp
$35.06
+0.8%
26.04 million12.60 million$913.12 millionAnalyst Report
Options Volume
QUALCOMM Incorporated stock logo
QCOM
QUALCOMM
$124.15
+1.8%
7.34 million7.91 million$911.53 millionAnalyst Report
Eli Lilly and Company stock logo
LLY
Eli Lilly and
$332.64
+0.5%
2.70 million3.24 million$899.22 million
Booking Holdings Inc. stock logo
BKNG
Booking
$2,538.76
-0.8%
352,237337,367$894.25 million
The Walt Disney Company stock logo
DIS
Walt Disney
$95.83
+1.0%
9.30 million11.31 million$890.75 millionAnalyst Upgrade
Insider Selling
Cisco Systems, Inc. stock logo
CSCO
Cisco Systems
$49.73
+0.5%
17.77 million18.67 million$883.72 million
Occidental Petroleum Co. stock logo
OXY
Occidental Petroleum
$58.48
-0.3%
15.00 million13.80 million$877.27 million
Snowflake Inc. stock logo
SNOW
Snowflake
$140.57
+3.6%
6.23 million5.79 million$875.43 million
The Cigna Group stock logo
CI
The Cigna Group
$256.58
-5.1%
3.38 million1.74 million$868.43 millionAnalyst Report
T-Mobile US, Inc. stock logo
TMUS
T-Mobile US
$142.30
-0.8%
6.06 million5.43 million$862.60 million
The Coca-Cola Company stock logo
KO
Coca-Cola
$59.92
-0.2%
14.34 million14.14 million$859.36 millionAnalyst Downgrade
Elevance Health, Inc. stock logo
ELV
Elevance Health
$446.30
-4.1%
1.89 million1.16 million$844.64 millionAnalyst Report
Ford Motor stock logo
F
Ford Motor
$11.42
-0.5%
73.79 million70.48 million$842.68 millionNews Coverage
The Procter & Gamble Company stock logo
PG
Procter & Gamble
$143.79
-0.1%
5.76 million7.03 million$828.78 million
PepsiCo, Inc. stock logo
PEP
PepsiCo
$175.65
-0.5%
4.66 million4.89 million$817.70 million
PepsiCo, Inc. stock logo
PEP
PepsiCo
$175.65
-0.5%
4.66 million4.89 million$817.70 millionAnalyst Downgrade
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. stock logo
GS
The Goldman Sachs Group
$314.85
+0.4%
2.57 million3.16 million$808.94 millionAnalyst Report
Lam Research Co. stock logo
LRCX
Lam Research
$523.59
+3.4%
1.54 million1.27 million$804.13 millionPositive News
Morgan Stanley stock logo
MS
Morgan Stanley
$85.84
-2.0%
9.36 million8.16 million$803.30 millionAnalyst Report
General Electric stock logo
GE
General Electric
$91.59
+2.2%
8.60 million8.40 million$787.86 million
ASML Holding stock logo
ASML
ASML
$664.16
+3.7%
1.16 million1.04 million$768.15 millionGap Up
Costco Wholesale Co. stock logo
COST
Costco Wholesale
$487.76
+0.0%
1.57 million2.00 million$763.44 million
Applied Materials, Inc. stock logo
AMAT
Applied Materials
$122.78
+3.3%
6.17 million6.66 million$758.02 millionInsider Selling
Gap Up
Comcast Co. stock logo
CMCSA
Comcast
$35.97
-0.6%
20.24 million20.05 million$727.96 million
Union Pacific Co. stock logo
UNP
Union Pacific
$186.20
+0.3%
3.85 million3.57 million$716.79 million
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. stock logo
PANW
Palo Alto Networks
$193.89
+1.6%
3.69 million4.73 million$715.16 million
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. stock logo
PANW
Palo Alto Networks
$193.89
+1.6%
3.69 million4.73 million$715.16 million
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. stock logo
PNC
The PNC Financial Services Group
$122.13
-1.8%
5.85 million3.37 million$714.17 millionAnalyst Upgrade
AbbVie Inc. stock logo
ABBV
AbbVie
$155.30
+1.1%
4.58 million6.58 million$711.85 million
Linde plc stock logo
LIN
Linde
$341.33
+0.6%
2.08 million2.77 million$710.48 million
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF stock logo
IEF
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF
$99.86
+0.6%
7.11 million9.23 million$710.35 millionPositive News
Merck & Co., Inc. stock logo
MRK
Merck & Co., Inc.
$104.23
-0.2%
6.78 million9.06 million$706.25 million
Enphase Energy, Inc. stock logo
ENPH
Enphase Energy
$204.66
+1.2%
3.42 million4.42 million$700.71 millionAnalyst Upgrade
Gap Up
Shopify Inc. stock logo
SHOP
Shopify
$45.79
+1.8%
15.29 million20.68 million$700.32 million
Truist Financial Co. stock logo
TFC
Truist Financial
$32.57
+0.2%
21.05 million11.89 million$685.61 million
Pfizer Inc. stock logo
PFE
Pfizer
$40.18
+0.4%
16.95 million23.74 million$681.16 millionInsider Buying
Starbucks Co. stock logo
SBUX
Starbucks
$98.42
-0.7%
6.87 million6.29 million$676.18 millionAnalyst Upgrade
Altria Group, Inc. stock logo
MO
Altria Group
$43.46
-1.7%
15.53 million8.51 million$674.80 millionOptions Volume
Chewy, Inc. stock logo
CHWY
Chewy
$34.93
-7.5%
18.86 million4.34 million$658.89 millionAnalyst Report
Analyst Revision
Gap Down
CVS Health Co. stock logo
CVS
CVS Health
$72.37
-2.7%
9.03 million9.48 million$653.20 million
Sea Limited stock logo
SE
SEA
$83.67
+7.7%
7.75 million5.61 million$648.55 millionAnalyst Report
Gap Up
Lowe's Companies, Inc. stock logo
LOW
Lowe's Companies
$189.69
-1.0%
3.33 million3.16 million$631.77 millionAnalyst Report
Deere & Company stock logo
DE
Deere & Company
$391.85
-0.8%
1.57 million1.54 million$613.86 million
McDonald's Co. stock logo
MCD
McDonald's
$269.62
+0.7%
2.26 million2.79 million$610.10 million
Caterpillar Inc. stock logo
CAT
Caterpillar
$219.44
-0.2%
2.77 million3.45 million$608.13 million
American Express stock logo
AXP
American Express
$162.76
+0.0%
3.73 million3.69 million$606.36 million
Verizon Communications Inc. stock logo
VZ
Verizon Communications
$37.37
+0.2%
15.79 million21.00 million$590.00 millionAnalyst Report
On Holding AG stock logo
ONON
ON
$30.64
+12.0%
18.80 million3.29 million$576.17 millionAnalyst Report
Options Volume
Gap Up
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. stock logo
FCX
Freeport-McMoRan
$37.79
-0.1%
15.22 million13.12 million$575.09 millionDividend Announcement
Zoetis Inc. stock logo
ZTS
Zoetis
$161.24
-0.1%
3.56 million2.23 million$574.13 millionOptions Volume
International Business Machines Co. stock logo
IBM
International Business Machines
$123.37
-0.5%
4.64 million5.27 million$572.92 millionPositive News
ConocoPhillips stock logo
COP
ConocoPhillips
$96.42
-2.0%
5.86 million6.75 million$565.12 millionAnalyst Report
Marvell Technology, Inc. stock logo
MRVL
Marvell Technology
$42.28
+5.3%
13.32 million12.35 million$563.00 millionGap Up
FedEx Co. stock logo
FDX
FedEx
$216.92
-0.1%
2.58 million2.11 million$559.83 millionAnalyst Report
Most Active Stocks: Dollar Volume vs Share Volume

Volume is essential when identifying stocks that offer profitable trading opportunities

The list of most-active stocks identifies the companies that trade the most shares or trade the highest dollar volume of shares over one trading day. Investors can find a list of the most active stocks every day for every major stock exchange (New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, AMEX, etc.).

A stock may experience above-average trading volume when important new information affecting the stock's valuation becomes public knowledge. This creates pressure among investors to either buy or sell the stock, leading to heavier trading volume and strong price momentum in the stock.

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.

Most active stocks fit into one of two categories. Dollar volume means the total value of the shares trading over a period of time. To calculate dollar volume multiply a stock’s trading volume by its price. For example, if Company ABC has a total trading volume of 100,000 shares and is trading for $20 a share, the dollar volume is 2,000,000 (100,000 x 20). Institutional investors use dollar volume to determine if a stock has enough liquidity to execute large block trades.

On the other hand, individual investors, particularly day traders will pay more attention to stocks with the highest average daily trading volume (ADTV). This is the total number of shares that are selling or trading over a period of time, typically a trading session. 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, often times in the same day. For that reason, they use average daily trading volume to select securities. 

In many cases, a stock becomes most active because there has been a significant change in stock price. Such a change is usually due to some 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 (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) are good examples of stocks that are consistently among the most active stocks regardless of what is happening with the stock. In 2021, the meme stock movement saw many meme stocks such as GameStop (NYSE: GME) and AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC) make the list of most active stocks.

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). Many of the most active stocks share some common traits:

  • They trade a large number of outstanding shares. 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.
  • They have 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 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. In fact, 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 period (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.

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.

Institutional investors tend to prefer finding the most active stocks by dollar volume. This is because they are determining if a stock has enough liquidity to execute large block trades On the other hand, retail investors tend to look for most active stocks by share volume. This is because they need to find the stocks with the highest liquidity so they can enter and exit trades at a favorable price.

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.

 


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