The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) looks like it will end the trading week on a positive note this Friday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up a healthy 0.76% to 7,308 points.
But let's dig a little deeper and check out which ASX 200 shares are topping the charts today in terms of trading volume, according to investing.com.
The 3 ASX 200 shares most heavily traded today
Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC)
Our first ASX 200 share is the coal miner Whitehaven. So far today, Whitehaven has seen a hefty 16.02 million of its shares traded.
There are no major news pieces or announcements out of the company today, so we can probably put this high volume down to movements in the Whitehaven share price.
The company has taken a mighty beating today, with Whitehaven shares down by 4.49% to $3.19 at the time of writing. This is the probable cause of the elevated trading volumes we are seeing.
EML Payments Ltd (ASX: EML)
Our second ASX 200 share makes a rare guest appearance on the list. EML Payments has seen a sizeable 17.81 million of its shares bought and sold so far today. We can almost certainly lay the blame for this at the feet of EML's market-moving announcement this morning.
EML told investors that its Irish subsidiary PFS Card Services is facing further regulatory pressure from the Central Bank of Ireland.
This has seen the company lose a massive 14.32% from its share price so far today, with EML shares asking $3.17 apiece at the time of writing. It's no surprise such a large share price loss has seen so many shares traded this Friday.
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
Our third and final ASX 200 share today is none other than lithium producer Pilbara Minerals, a frequenter of the ASX 200's top volume spot. Pilbara has seen a whopping 24.03 million of its shares swap hands so far today. No news is out from the company so far.
However, Pilbara Minerals seems to be having the same problem as EML, albeit on a far smaller scale. Pilbara shares are currently down by a not-insignificant 2.3% today to $1.95 a share. This is probably the reason behind so many shares trading today.
