The Most Actively Traded Over-The-Counter Stocks In September

The total dollar amount traded in a security over a period of time can tell a lot about what industries traders and investors are most focused. This is because institutional investors commonly use total dollar volume, or the total dollar amount of all shares that have been traded over a specific time, to gauge whether a given stock can support a large investment.

And with over 10,000 equities traded on the over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets, tracking dollar volume can go a long way towards cutting through the noise.

For example, one of the most actively traded OTC stocks in 2018 is Roche Holdings RHHBY, with over $8 billion worth of stock having switched hands since January. Even if you knew nothing about the Swiss healthcare conglomerate, that's a signal to traders that institutional investors are interested in the stock.

We can observe a few clear trends in September volume by referring to data collected by OTC Markets Group, the operator of the over-the-counter equities markets. Below are the five most actively traded stocks on the OTCQX and OTCQB markets in September, along with their respective volume in U.S. dollars and the country in which they are incorporated.

Remember, the OTCQX Market is the top tier of the OTC equities market with no penny stocks and the most stringent entry requirements. The OTCQB is the middle tier, for companies that may not be able to meet the financial or regulatory requirements required by the exchanges or OTCQX.

OTCQX

• Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACBFF- Canada; $2,024,234,951
• Roche Holding Ltd RHHBY- Switzerland; $373,606,896
• BASF SE BASFY- Germany; $368,190,665
• Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. TGODF- Canada; $274,243,778
• Bitcoin Investment Trust GBTC- United States; $244,770,306

OTCQB

• Aphria Inc. APHQF- Canada; $835,108,250
• CV Sciences, Inc. CVSI- United States; $272,245,156
• Namaste Technologies Inc NXTTF- Canada; $200,350,570
• Medmen Enterprises Inc. MMNFF- United States; $122,159,077
• Fannie Mae FNMAS- United States; $89,220,348

An obvious trend is the sheer popularity of cannabis stocks. If you’ve followed the market over the past two months, this should not come as a surprise. Two of the top five most-traded OTCQX stocks, ACBFF and TDGODF, and four of the top five top OTCQB stocks, APHQF, CVSI, NXTTF and MMNFF, all provide exposure to various areas of the cannabis markets. And with Canada set to Federally decriminalize cannabis on October 17, it’s possible that we will see this momentum continue.

The other aspect worth noting is the continued popularity of GBTC, which up until the end of 2017, was the only way for investors to gain direct exposure to bitcoin in the regulated equities markets. Even with the weak year in the cryptocurrency markets, GBTC continues to be an actively traded security. So, while the long-term investment thesis on bitcoin and crypto currency in general may have changed, the interest is still there for traders.

Click here to see the full list of September’s most active over-the-counter equities by dollar volume.

OTC Markets Group is a content partner of Benzinga