These are the best ETFs for day trading based on volume, volatility, and other metrics. Since not all traders are interested in the same thing (such as high volatility), I have created four different lists to suit different types of traders.
- Highest volume (unleveraged)
- Most Volatile (leveraged)
- Most Volatile (unleveraged)
- Best ETFs for cash accounts (if you can’t short)
All ETFs on these lists trade at least 10 million shares per day, on average. Some alternative inverse ETFs may trade less, when indicated.
The Best ETFs for Day Trading were updated on March 18, 2025. The list is updated monthly.
Here is a summary list of the Best Day Trading ETFs as of March 18. See the full statistics below.
| Highest Volume (unleveraged) | FXI | SPY | XLF | IBIT | QQQ |
| Most Volatile (leveraged) | TSLL/TSLQ | NVDL | SOXL/SOXS | UVXY | KOLD |
| Most Volatile (unleveraged) | ETHA | ARKK | IBIT | KWEB | GDX |
| Best ETFs for cash accounts | SPY/SH | QQQ/PSQ | TQQQ/SQQQ |
Best Day Trading ETFs – Highest Volume (Unleveraged)
High volume means you can enter and exit quickly with minimal slippage. The ETFs on this list are for day traders seeking moderate daily price movement with huge volume so you can take small or large position sizes. These are the highest volume unleveraged ETFs. The list is ordered by volume, but you’ll see that each ETF moves a different amount each day. So you can opt to trade the ones that match your desired volume and movement preference.
Highest volume ETFs (unleveraged) as of March 18, 2025
| iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI) – The daily average (30) volume is 59 million and the average (30) daily movement in percentage terms is 1.76%. Average daily movement is based on the Intraday Range, which is the average price movement between the high and low of the day (doesn’t include any overnight price gaps). This ETF tracks the largest 50 companies in China. |
| SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) – The daily average (30) volume is 56 million and the average (30) daily movement in percentage terms is 1.42%. This ETF tracks the S&P 500 index (the largest US companies) which makes it quite stable compared to individual stocks and is widely used by both day traders and investors. |
| Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) – The daily average (30) volume is 50 million and the average (30) daily movement is 1.55%. This ETF tracks a wide range of stocks in the financial sector. |
| iShares Bitcoin ETF ETF (IBIT) – The daily average (30) volume is 46 million and the average (30) daily movement is 4.05%. This ETF tracks the price movements of spot Bitcoin by owning/holding Bitcoin. |
| Invesco QQQ Trust Series (QQQ) – The daily average (30) volume is 38 million and the average (30) daily movement is 1.86%. This ETF tracks the Nasdaq 100 index. |
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Best Day Trading ETFs – Most Daily Movement (Leveraged)
This category is for traders looking for ETFs with the most daily movement. Large daily movement has the potential to create larger profits, especially since these ETFs also have extremely high volume.
Most volatile ETFs (leveraged) with lots of volume as of March 18, 2025
| Direxsion Daily TSLA Bull 2x Shares ETF (TSLL) – The daily average (30) volume is 128 million and the average (30) daily movement is 11.76%. This ETF moves twice as much as Tesla (TSLA) stock on a daily basis. If TSLA rises by 1%, TSLL will rise 2%. An alternative is TSLQ. It moves twice as much in the opposite direction as TSLA stock. Daily average volume (30) is only 10 million, and average daily movement similar to TSLQ. |
| T-Rex 2x Long Nvidia Daily Target ETF (NVDL) – The daily average (30) volume is 26 million and the average (30) daily movement is 9.34%. This ETF moves twice as much as Nvidia stock on a daily basis. |
| Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares (SOXL) – The daily average (30) volume is 93 million and the average (30) daily movement is 8.68%. This ETF moves three times as much as a basket of semiconductor stocks, in the same direction. If semiconductor stocks move up 1%, SOXL moves up 3%. Trading SOXS is an alternative. It has average volume of 43 million shares, similar daily movement, and moves three times as much as semiconductor stocks but in the opposite direction. |
| ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (UVXY) – The daily average (30) volume is 22 million and the average (30) daily movement is 8.11%. This ETF attempts to move 1.5 times as much as the S&P 500 VIX Shoert-Term Futures Index on a daily basis. |
| ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg Natural Gas (KOLD) – The daily average (30) volume is 10 million and the average (30) daily movement is 7.83%. This ETF moves two times as much as a natural gas index, in the opposite direction. If the natural gas index is up 1%, this ETF will be down 2% for the day. |
Best Day Trading ETFs – Most Daily Movement (Unleveraged)
This section is for day traders looking for high-volume ETFs that are unleveraged. That means the ETF tracks the performance of the stocks in its portfolio without any leveraging.
Most volatile ETFs (unleveraged) with lots of volume as of March 18, 2025
| iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA) – The daily average (30) volume is 10 million and the average (30) daily movement in percentage terms is 5.33%. This ETF tracks the price performance of ether. |
| ARKK Innovation ETF (ARKK) – The daily average (30) volume is 12 million and the average (30) daily movement is 4.16%. This ETF tracks a portfolio of “disruptively innovative” stocks/companies. Companies that are putting forth technology which may change how we live our lives. This fund is actively managed, making subject to the whims and decisions of the portfolio manager. |
| iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) – The daily average (30) volume is 46 million and the average (30) daily movement is 4.05%. This ETF tracks the price movements of spot Bitcoin. |
| KranShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) – The daily average (30) volume is 31 million and the average (30) daily movement is 2.69%. This ETF tracks a basket of Chinese internet-related companies. |
| VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) – The daily average (30) volume is 19 million and the average (30) daily movement in percentage terms is 2.48%. This ETF tracks companies in the gold mining industry. |
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Best Day Trading ETFs for Cash Accounts (can’t short)
This section is for day traders using a cash account. With a cash account, you’re unable to short ETFs. Cash accounts are common in tax-protected accounts. While these types of accounts are often used for long-term investing, you can also day trade a cash account (and benefit from tax protection if applicable).
Since you can’t go short, you will need to pick a long and short ETF. If you believe an index will fall, for example, you buy the “short ETF”. If you believe the index will rise, you buy the “long ETF)
Best ETFs for day trading long and short in a cash account, updated March 18, 2025
| ETF Combination 1. Monitor SPY. If you believe it will go up, buy SPY. If you believe it will go down, buy SH as it will go up when SPY goes down. This combination allows you to potentially make money whether SPY rises or falls. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) – The daily average (30) volume is 56 million and the average (30) daily movement is 1.42%. This ETF tracks the S&P 500 index (the largest US companies) which makes it quite stable compared to individual stocks and is widely used by both day traders and investors. ProShares Short S&P 500 ETF (SH) – The daily average (30) volume is 6 million and the average (30) daily movement is very similar to SPY. This ETF tracks the S&P 500 index but moves in the opposite direction as the S&P 500. |
| ETF Combination 2. Monitor QQQ. If you believe it will go up, buy QQQ. If you believe it will go down, buy PSQ as it will go up if QQQ goes down. This allows you to potentially make money whether QQQ rises or falls. QQQ has more daily movement than SPY. Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) – The daily average (30) volume is 38 million and the average (30) daily movement is 1.86%. This ETF tracks the largest companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. It is mainly composed of technology-related stocks. ProShares Short QQQ (PSQ) – The daily average (30) volume is 5 million and the average (30) daily movement is very similar to QQQ. This ETF tracks the largest companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, but it moves in the opposite direction (inverse) as them. |
| ETF Combination 3. Monitor QQQ to make your trading decisions. Then trade TQQQ if you believe QQQ will go up, or SQQQ if you believe QQQ will go down. You could also monitor TQQQ and SQQQ directly. These are leveraged ETFs meaning they will move 3x as much as QQQ. Trade these if you want lots of daily movement and high volume. ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ) – The daily average (30) volume is 77 million and the average (30) daily movement is 5.67%. This ETF moves three times as much as the QQQ ETF. If QQQ rises by 1%, TQQQ will move up 3%. ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ (SQQQ) – The daily average (30) volume is 73 million and the average (30) daily movement is very similar to TQQQ. This ETF moves three times as much as the QQQ ETF, and moves in the opposite direction (if QQQ goes down 1%, SQQQ goes up 3%, for example). |
Day Trading ETF Alternatives
ETFs are a great choice for day trading because some of them on the list are more insulated from price shocks than individual stocks. Many of the ETFs on this list are based on the price movement of hundreds of stocks; if one or even several stocks were to come out with surprise announcements, the effect is diluted and the ETF would continue to trade as normal. The individual stocks with the surprise announcements may see wild price swings, or even have their trading temporarily halted.
That said, while ETFs are more diversified than trading individual stocks, this can also dilute the daily average moves. The leveraged ETFs on this list may move 5% in a day, while the best day trading stocks may move 10% or even 15% per day.
Not all the ETFs are diluted though. Some are only based on one stock or asset. This means it may perform similarly to the underlying asset, or it may magnify the return, or move in the opposite direction if it is an inverse fund. These ETFs are highly susceptible to what happens in that underlying asset. If trading them, understand that if something goes wrong in that underlying asset (bankruptcy, flash crash, overnight gaps), that will be reflected in the ETF as well.
ETFs and stocks are both viable for day trading. One isn’t better than another, it just depends on how you want to trade. Most day trading strategies for stocks can be used with ETFs and vice versa.
Happy Day Trading!
Cory Mitchell, CMT
Disclaimer: Nothing in this article is personal investment advice, or advice to buy or sell anything. Trading is risky and can result in substantial losses, even more than deposited if using leverage.
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