The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has seen the week out with a whimper rather than a bang this Friday. At the closing bell, the ASX 200 was down an anaemic 0.05% to 7,460 points. Yawn.
So let's instead take a look at the ASX 200 shares that topped ASX trading volumes this Friday.
The 3 top trading ASX 200 shares this Friday
South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)
The diversified ASX 200 miner South32 is our first share to check out today. This Friday has seen an impressive 21.53 million South32 shares change hands. South32 reported its FY21 earnings yesterday morning, and the response from the markets has been swift. The miner lost 0.52% yesterday, but has seen a far nastier 3.14% fall during trading today.
Over the past 5 trading days, this miner has lost around 7.7% of its value. It's likely that the steep sell-off we are seeing during today's session is behind the elevated number of South32 shares that have swapped hands this Friday.
Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)
ASX 200 telco Telstra is the next cab off the rank today. Telstra has seen a very impressive 25.66 million of its shares change hands today. This appears to be the result of a strong move in the Telstra share price today. At the end of trading, Telstra was up a solid 1.26% to equal its 52-week high of $4.02 a share.
As my Fool colleague Marc reported this morning, this move may have been sparked by reports that Telstra is looking to diversify its earnings base with a potential purchase of Meridian Energy Ltd's (ASX: MEZ) Australian electrical generation assets. It's probably this excitement that is leading to so many Telstra shares trading today.
PIlbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
ASX 200 lithium producer Pilbara is last on our list today, with an astonishing 29.95 million shares bought and sold on Friday. A regular top-trading share, Pilbara's move today seems to be in pure response to the company's share price.
Pilbara has had a clanger of a week, falling from $2.38 a share on Monday to $2.02 at the final bell yesterday, a slide of more than 15%.
Seeing as the company has lost a chinky 5.6% just today, it's likely this intense selling pressure is what is behind so many Pilbara shares changing owners this Friday.
