The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a see-saw day today. After an initial strong open that saw the ASX 200 rise above 7,600 points, it then went into the red. At market close, the ASX 200 has slightly recovered to finnish the day up 0.05%, at 7588 points.
But let's now look at the ASX 200 shares that are topping the trading volume charts this Thursday.
The 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares this Thursday
AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)
Financial services company AMP is our first ASX 200 share to check out today. A hefty 21.33 million AMP shares traded hands today. We don't have to look too far to see why this company might be experiencing some elevated buying and selling.
AMP reported its half-year earnings results this morning, and investors have reacted decisively. AMP shares finished the day up a sizeable 3.70% to $1.12 a share. Even so, this company is still very close to its all-time low of $1.04 at these prices, and AMP remains down more than 28% year to date.
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
Pilbara is quickly turning into one of the ASX 200's surprise success stories in 2021 so far. Year to date, this ASX lithium producer is up a whopping 175%. That's despite a drop of 2.86% today, with Pilbara shares trading at $2.38 at market close. This drop is probably what's behind the 35.96 million Pilbara shares that swapped owners today. In addition to its eye-watering 2021 returns, Pilbara is also up more than 53% over just the past month alone.
Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)
ASX 200 telco Telstra is our most traded ASX share today, with a titanic 50.53 million shares having been traded on the ASX boards this Thursday. Just like with AMP, we don't have to dig too deep to find where this trading volume is stemming from.
Telstra also reported its FY2021 earnings this morning, and investors have reacted with enthusiasm. Telstra is today up a meaty 2.52% to $3.96 a share after making a new 52-week high of $4 just after midday today. We can probably thank Telstra's new share buyback program and its steady dividend for this share price rise, as well as the elevated trading volumes we are seeing today.
