Well, it's been a pretty lousy start to the trading week for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) so far this Monday. At the time of writing, the ASX 200 has tumbled yet again. The Index is currently down by another 1.21%, putting it very close to dropping under 6,900 points.
The ASX 200 has now lost more than 6% since 7 March. Ouch.
But rather than letting this set the tone for the week, let's distract ourselves by instead taking a look at the ASX 200 shares that are at the top of the share market's trading volume charts at present, according to investing.com.
The 3 most traded ASX 200 shares by volume this Monday
Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS)
First up this Monday is the ASX 200 lithium share Pilbara Minerals. So far today, a notable 14.96 million PIlbara shares have traded owners on the ASX. There's been no fresh news out of Pilbara itself that might explain this volume. So let's turn to the Pilbara share price itself for a possible explanation here. Indeed, Pilbara has had a big day, and not in a good way.
This lithium leader is currently nursing a painful 4.63% loss today, putting the company down to $3.50 a share at present. That's despite Pilbara initially opening in positive territory this morning and rising as high as $3.71 a share. This volatility and big share price loss are probably why we are seeing so many Pilbara share flying around.
Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)
Next up is another miner in ASX 200 gold share Evolution. So far this Monday, a significant 15.94 million Evolution shares have charged across the ASX boards. We have seen some news from this company today. This morning, Evolution informed investors that underground mining and production at its Cowal project has commenced ahead of schedule.
This has presumably combined with a spike in gold prices to lead the Evolution share price to more than 11% higher so far today, with the miner currently asking $2.86 a share. No wonder we are seeing high trading volumes here.
Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)
Another ASX 200 lithium share rounds out our list today in Sayona. So far this session, a whopping 29.35 million Sayona shares have been bought and sold. This looks like a very similar situation to that of Pilbara. Despite no fresh news out today, Sayona shares have still had a shocker.
The miner is presently down by a nasty 5.91% at 21 cents each, despite a positive open this morning. With a fall of that size, it's no surprise to see a boatload of Sayona shares trading on the share market.