SMST bid-ask spread and liquidity

Defiance Daily Target 2X Short MSTR ETF
LeverageDefiance$11m net assets1.38% fee
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As of Oct 22, 2026, SMST closed −0.23% from its NAV, and on 95% of the 15 days to then it was within ±0.41%.

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Ask IQ about SMST bid-ask spread and liquidity

Answers cite the figures on this page.

OverviewHoldingsTradingFlowsCompare

IQ Liquidity Score

2 of 6 measured · Oct 22, 2026
·
Not scored
0 · Hard to trade100 · Trades like a giant

The IQ Liquidity Score: a fixed 0 to 100 scale of trading conditions, the same anchors for every fund; 100 is the easiest to trade. It measures how cheaply and reliably the fund trades, not whether to own it. Method →

Cost to trade
Not measured · the issuer's 30-day median spread is not read for this fund
·
Capacity
Holdings can absorb $148m a day, Oct 22, 2026
72.4
Price fidelity
Not measured · 15 days of closing premium are held, under the 20 needed
·
Primary market
5 active dealers of 5; largest 32% of creations and redemptions, N-CEN to Apr 30, 2026
85.0
Bad-day behaviour
Not measured · 0 of the 10 worst days and 15 other days are held, under the 5 and 60 needed
·
Depth
Not measured · needs trade and quote data (Phase 2)
·

Premium or discount to value

Daily, 15 days to Oct 22, 2026 · the ±1% band marked
SMST premium or discount to NAV, 15 days+1%0−1%Sep 11, 2026Oct 22, 2026
Latest close, Oct 22
−0.23%
95% of days within
±0.41%
Days more than 1% from NAV
0 of 15
Widest
−0.41%, Oct 2, 2026

Close against the NAV its issuer struck the same day, from the issuer. Source: ETFIQ.

Capacity

What the holdings can absorb a day, at 10% of each one’s volume
Holdings can absorb
$148m

SMST’s holdings can absorb $148m a day, measured on the trading volume of MSTR, the asset its multiple is on, divided by its multiple of 2, as of Oct 22, 2026. A $1m order is 0.68% of a day’s capacity.

The holding that sets the limit: MSTR (MSTR), $3.0bn a day traded, the median of 20 days to Oct 22, 2026. Capacity is the least of the holding-level ratios over the holdings making up 95% of the weight.

Dealers

Authorized participants · N-CEN, the year to Apr 30, 2026
Active dealers
5
of 5 authorized
Largest
32%
of creations and redemptions
One dealer
No
5 active

5 of 5 authorized participants created or redeemed SMST shares in the year to Apr 30, 2026. From the fund’s Form N-CEN, filed Sep 2, 2026.

The active authorized participants, largest first, by share of the dollars created and redeemed: Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. (32.3%), Jane Street Execution Services, LLC (29.0%), Virtu Financial (26.5%), ABN AMRO Clearing USA LLC (7.4%), Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (4.8%).

How to trade SMST

To buy or to sell, up to $100,000
When
ETF spreads are usually widest in the first minutes after the open and the last before the close.
Size
Up to $1m is 1% of what its holdings can absorb in a day, for a buy or a sell.
Watch
The premium. On 95% of days it is within ±0.41%; beyond that a buyer pays more, and a seller gets less, than the holdings are worth.
Phase 2 · drawn now, filled when trade data arrives
Spread through the dayComing with trade data

Median spread by half hour, 30 days.

Buyers against sellersComing with trade data

Share of volume at the ask against at the bid.

Retail flow, estimatedComing with trade data

Sub-penny prints as a share of volume.

Large tradesComing with trade data

Prints above $500k, count and share.

Closing auctionComing with trade data

Share of the day’s volume at the close.

Questions people ask

Does SMST trade at a premium or discount to NAV?

It closed −0.23% from its NAV on Oct 22, 2026. On 95% of the 15 days to then it was within ±0.41%, and it closed more than 1% from NAV on 0 of them.

Who is the AP for SMST?

SMST’s latest Form N-CEN, for the period ending Apr 30, 2026, lists 5 authorized participants (APs), and 5 created or redeemed shares. The largest were Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp. (32.3%), Jane Street Execution Services, LLC (29.0%), Virtu Financial (26.5%) of the dollars its APs created and redeemed.

Who is the LMM for SMST?

SMST’s lead market maker (LMM) on Nasdaq is Susquehanna Securities, LLC. Lead market maker per Nasdaq, as of Oct 23, 2026.
Sources and dates
Premium to NAVETFIQ, close against the issuer’s NAV · Sep 11, 2026 to Oct 22, 2026
CapacityETFIQ, each holding’s 20-day median dollar volume · to Oct 22, 2026
DealersForm N-CEN · the year to Apr 30, 2026
Where to next
ETF trading costs and liquidity→Cost-to-trade checker→Why low volume does not mean illiquidguide →Limit orders vs market orders for ETFsguide →How the IQ Liquidity Score is builtmethod →SMST fund page→
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, SMST trading: cost, capacity, premium and dealers, data as of Oct 22, 2026. https://etfiq.com/funds/smst/trading/

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The score measures trading conditions, not the fund. ETFIQ makes no recommendations.