Well, love didn't last. At least for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). After bouncing for Valentine's Day yesterday, the ASX 200 has turned back around and is once again heading down so far this Wednesday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 Index has lost a nasty 0.97% and is back down to just under 7,360 points.
But let's not let all of that get us down. So instead of dwelling, let's now turn to the shares that are currently topping the ASX 200's share trading volume charts, according to investing.com.
The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Wednesday
Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)
Our first share experiencing large trading volumes worth checking out today is the ASX 200 telco Telstra. So far this Wednesday, a substantial 13.27 million Telstra shares have been exchanged on the markets. We haven't gotten any new news from Telstra for a while now. So this volume probably has something to do with the company's share price performance this session.
Telstra is pleasingly defying the gloom of the broader markets and has held its ground today. The telco is presently flat at $4.14 a share, but rose as high as $4.17 earlier this morning, before falling into red territory and recovering to where we see the shares at now. All of this volatility has probably resulted in the high volumes we are seeing here.
Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR)
ASX 200 gaming and casino company Star Entertainment is next up this Wednesday. This session has seen a chunky 25.65 million Star shares fly across the ASX skies. This is almost certainly a result of the big recovery the Star share price has staged so far today.
After a disastrous start this week following a poorly-received guidance update, the Star share price has bounced today. It's currently up by a pleasing 9.34% at $1.40 a share. With a bounce this big, it's no surprise to see so many shares flying around.
Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)
Our last share this Wednesday is the ASX 200 lithium stock Sayona Mining. At this point of the trading day, a large 31 million Sayona shares have found a new ASX home. There's been no news out of Sayona today. But that hasn't stopped this company from sliding by a nasty 6.52% to 22 cents per share.
This dramatic loss of value is almost certainly behind the elevated trading volumes on display. Perhaps investors are getting spooked over the heightened short-selling of Sayona shares that my Fool colleague Brooke discussed this morning.