The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is now in the green so far this Monday after dipping into negative territory briefly after market open this morning. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is up a tentative 0.13% and is currently sitting at 7,227 points. Happy Valentine's Day indeed!
But let's dig a little deeper and have a look at the ASX 200 shares that are currently at the top of the market's trading volume charts, according to investing.com.
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The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume so far this Monday
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
Pilbara Minerals is our first share of the day today. This ASX 200 lithium producer has had a sizeable 18.16 million shares change owners on the markets thus far. There has been no major news or announcements out of Pilbara today.
As such, we can probably place the blame for this high volume at the feet of the Pilbara share price itself. This company has taken a very heavy beating this Monday, and is currently down 5.75% at $3.04 a share. It's this large drop that is almost certainly to thank for this elevated trading volume we see.
Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT)
ASX 200 energy share Beach is next up. Beach Energy has watched a substantial 23.4 million of its shares find new owners so far today. We don't have to look too far for this one. Beach released its half-year results this morning, which have elicited a dramatic share price reaction.
As my Fool colleague James covered earlier, Beach reported a 66% increase in net profits after tax to $213 million, along with a 26% rise in earnings. Beach shares have reacted very positively too. This company is presently up a whopping 10.44% at $1.64 a share. This combination is almost certainly behind this high volume we see today.
Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)
A rare ASX 200 bank appearance today, Westpac is our final and most traded share thus far. As it currently stands, a hefty 28.9 million Westpac shares have traded on the markets today. Again, we don't have to look too far for this one. This morning, Westpac announced that its $3.5 billion share buyback program has wound up after strong demand from shareholders.
The bank now has 167.5 million fewer shares on issue than when it started, increasing the effective ownership of the bank for all remaining shareholders. Amid this, the Westpac share price has also pushed markedly higher thus far today. It's currently sitting at $23.81, up a healthy 4.52% so far. These factors are probably behind so many Westpac shares flying around the markets today.
