Here are the 3 most heavily traded ASX 200 shares on Friday

Massive share price losses are driving ASX 200 trading volumes this Friday.

Sebastian Bowen

Author Bio Sebastian Bowen has been a Motley Fool contributor since late 2018. Sebastian found his passion for writing and educating others about shares and all things finance after completing his studies in political, economic and social science and enjoys bringing this passion to life at the Fool. His investment philosophy is a simple one – buying high-quality companies at prices that make sense. When he’s not researching his next investment at all hours of the morning, Sebastian enjoys classic movies and likes to unwind with a good book, newspaper or record. Areas of Expertise Dividend investing ETFs Education Bachelor of Political, Economic, and Social Sciences (Government and International Relations), University of Sydney Social Media X/Twitter Favorite Investment Quote "In the short run, the market is a voting machine, but in the long run, it is a weighing machine." – Benjamin Graham

Published March 10, 2023 3:49 pm AEDT

It's been a fairly dire end to the trading week so far this Friday for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). After having a rather volatile week this week, investors have broken into a stampede of pessimism today, sending the ASX 200 Index down by a nasty 2.3% at the time of writing to back under 7,150 points.

Ouch.

But let's not let all of that ruin our weekends. So instead, it's time now to check out the ASX 200 shares that are at the top of the share market's trading volume charts as it currently sits, according to investing.com.

blue arrows representing a rising share price ASX 200 — Image source: Getty Images

The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Friday

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

First share up for discussion today is the ASX 200 energy giant Santos. So far this Friday, a hefty 17.16 million Santos shares have traded owners. There's been no fresh news out of Santos itself today, save for a share buyback notice.

This could be influencing trading volumes, but the more likely explanation for this high volume is the depressing sell-off of Santos shares themselves. At this point, the Santos share price has shed a chunky 2.77% and is down to $7.20 a share.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)

Next up we have ASX 200 lithium share Pilbara Minerals. At this point of the day, a sizeable 25.16 million Pilbara shares have been bought and sold. There hasn't been much in the way of news out of Pilbara either. But this company has been ravaged by the markets today.

At present, Pilbara shares have tanked by a horrid 6.3% and are down to $4.01 each. As we covered this afternoon, this appears to have been driven by lower lithium prices across the market. There's little doubt this nasty share price dive is behind these high volumes.

Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)

Our third, final and most traded ASX 200 share this Friday is another lithium stock in Sayona Mining. A whopping 28.55 million Sayona shares have swapped hands as it currently stands on the ASX. This looks to be a very similar situation to that of Pilbara.

There hasn't been any Sayona news from the company itself. But the shares have been decimated by investors today, likely due to similar concerns to those of Pilbara.

But in Sayona's case, this lithium share has lost even more, currently nursing an 8% loss, putting the company down to 23 cents per share. With a loss of that size, no wonder we are seeing elevated share volumes.

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