A preliminary Q3 snapshot of retail CFD trading showed gold-led metals remained the largest category, while currency pairs gained share, offering a view of how activity was distributed across the market.
The preliminary Q3 distribution put gold-led metals at 69% of retail CFD trading volume, compared with 78% in Q2. Currency pairs made up 16%, up from 10% in the preliminary comparison; the broker coverage may differ between the periods.
A preliminary Q3 estimate put average monthly retail broker volume about 8% above Q2, based on submissions received from some participating brokers. Those submissions were incomplete when the estimate was compiled.
The Q2 monthly average for retail brokers was $30.4 trillion, 9.3% below Q1's $33.5 trillion. The Q3 preliminary increase follows that quarterly decline, though the available figures do not explain what drove the changes.
The percentages show each category's share of broker trading. They do not indicate broker earnings or clients' account balances. The figures also do not break out U.S. activity or provide a separate share for cryptocurrency CFDs.
Comparisons may be affected by the mix of firms reporting in each quarter. The mix cannot show whether individual clients moved from gold to currency pairs, or why trading patterns changed. Additional submissions may prompt revisions to the preliminary Q3 estimate.
