The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is trading in the green on Monday afternoon, up 0.61% for the day at the time of writing. It's a welcome uplift after the index fell by 58.6 points at the close of last week, or 0.7% to 8769.7 points on Friday afternoon.
Cooling investor sentiment, which followed the Reserve Bank's latest hold decision, dampened gains for Australian shares during the week. The weakest sector at the end of last week was technology, followed by financials.
New data from CommSec reveals the Australian shares that were most traded by its clients last week, highlighting investor sentiment and market momentum.
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Most traded Australian shares
CommSec's data shows that Droneshield Ltd (ASX: DRO) was, once again, the most traded stock by its clients between 3rd November and 7th November.
It's unsurprising that Droneshield shares made the top of the list for another week, given ASX defence stocks continue to sit in the spotlight. Over the course of last week, 70% of Droneshield activity was investors buying, but 30% was investors selling up and taking impressive gains earned over the past year.
At the time of writing, Droneshield shares have risen 1.69% for the day to $3.28 a piece. There has been a spike in investor interest after the company announced it has inked three new deals with the United States government to supply handheld counterdrone systems.
Next on CommSec's most traded Australian shares list are Arafura Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: ARU) and CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) shares.
There has been a surge in demand for rare earths, accompanied by heightened trade tensions between China and the US. In late October, the rare earths developer also received commitments to raise $475 million via a two-tranche institutional placement at a discount of 28 cents per new share.
Macquarie previously told investors that it expects the rare earths market to remain tight for the remainder of 2025. It also expects a supply deficit for 2026 and 2027.
CSL suffered a brutal investor sell-off this year, but investors seem to be keeping a close eye on the stock. The company held a capital markets day on Wednesday last week, where it said its Seqirus division had grown revenue to a projected $2 billion in FY25, maintaining a 42% global market share in influenza vaccines.
What else were investors interested in last week?
CommSec clients were also interested in Mount Ridley Mines Ltd (ASX: MRD), Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS), Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC), WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC), and Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG).
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares also made the list of the top 10 most traded shares during the course of the week, but the majority of activity (65% of activity in both stocks) was investor selling.
