Gold and Bitcoin ETFs muscle back into the top 10 most traded

Two very different assets, one clear message. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) have both climbed back into the top 10 most traded ETFs, knocking out the semiconductor-focused funds that dominated earlier in 2026.

GLD recorded $6.80 billion in single-session trading volume, hitting 228% of its 30-day average. IBIT printed $5.21 billion on the same session, which was 415% of its own average.

The numbers behind the rotation

Digital asset ETFs collectively posted $10.16 billion in turnover on that session, equal to 252% of their recent average. The bulk of that came from IBIT, which has also seen net creations running through the August 21-24 period, meaning new money is actually flowing in rather than just existing holders trading among themselves.

GLD had already been building momentum before that peak session. On August 7, it ranked among the 20 most actively traded ETFs in the market, with volume reaching $4.27 billion.

Why gold and Bitcoin are moving together

GLD is the oldest and most liquid expression of the alternative-to-dollar-denominated-assets trade. IBIT, launched in January 2024, has rapidly become the institutional-grade vehicle for the Bitcoin version of the same idea.

BlackRock’s IBIT specifically offers direct exposure to Bitcoin through a regulated, exchange-listed wrapper, which removed a significant friction point for large allocators who couldn’t hold the underlying asset directly. The fact that IBIT is seeing net creations, not just secondary market trading, means those allocators are actually adding new positions rather than reshuffling existing ones.

GLD holds physical gold bullion, meaning the ETF’s trading volume is a proxy for genuine demand for the underlying metal, not just derivative speculation.

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