Trading volume

Trading volume is the total quantity of an asset traded over a given period, such as an hour or a day, on one venue or across many. It measures how much changed hands and is often used as an indicator of activity and interest in a market. Higher volume generally accompanies greater liquidity and can make prices more resistant to manipulation, though the two are not identical.

Volume is counted from executed trades, not resting orders. A common misconception is that reported volume is always genuine; figures can be inflated by practices like wash trading, so the source and integrity of the data matter when interpreting it.