It's proving to be a bit of a sad end to the trading week for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Friday. Backing up yesterday's losses, the ASX 200 has lost another 0.82% so far this session, dragging the index back down to around 6,675 points.
But let's not let that cast a shadow over the upcoming weekend. So instead, it's time to take a look at the shares currently topping the ASX 200's share trading volume charts, according to investing.com.
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The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Friday
Pilbara Minrals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
Our first share to take stock of today is ASX 200 lithium star Pilbara Minerals. Pilbara has had a noteworthy 12.1 million shares traded so far this Friday. There's been no news from the company itself that might explain this volume.
However, the Pilbara share price is bucking the mood of the broader markets and has added a healthy 1.6% this session to $5.05 a share. Perhaps some love from ASX brokers is helping here. Either way, this market defiance has probably sparked these kinds of volumes.
South32 Ltd (ASX: S32)
Next up we have ASX 200 mining company South32. So far today, a decent 14.13 million South32 shares have been dug up and sold to a new home. Here we have another ASX share that is enjoying some rare gains this Friday.
At present, the South32 share price has inched up by 0.54% to $3.69 a share. We haven't had any news out from the company either, save for a routine share buyback notice. This, along with the gains we see, is the likely explanation for this elevated trading volume.
Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO)
Last but certainly not least in terms of volume, we have another ASX 200 lithium stock in Core Lithium. Today's session has seen a large 22.01 million Core Lithium shares swap hands as it currently stands. Core has posted a notice today of its 2022 annual general meeting.
Perhaps this has gotten investors excited (although it might also be rising on Pilbara's coattails). Nevertheless, Core Lithium shares have bounced a healthy 2.26% to $1.36 each at the time of writing after a shaky start this morning. That might be the explanation we are looking for in terms of the high volume of shares flying around.
