Trading activity just hit an insane milestone.

US equity markets are seeing roughly 17.5 billion shares change hands every single day so far this year. That's not a typo—daily volume across both traditional exchanges and off-exchange venues has never been higher.

What's wild? Average daily turnover has nearly tripled since eight years ago. We're talking about a fundamental shift in how people interact with markets. Retail participation exploded, algorithmic trading evolved, and the barriers to entry basically disappeared.

Meanwhile, off-exchange trading keeps eating up a bigger slice of the pie. More volume is moving through alternative venues, dark pools, and internalized order flows. The market structure itself is morphing right before our eyes.

This isn't just about numbers going up—it reflects a complete transformation in market accessibility and participant behavior.