With a 2.1% gain throughout June, the ASX 200 chalked up its ninth consecutive monthly increase last month on the back of strength from the energy, real estate, IT and telecoms sectors.

The threat of tax-loss selling passed with minimal impact on the high-profile shares at the top-end of the market, although it was felt in the small-to-mid-cap segments where a number of names hit multi-month lows.

Here is what the Selfwealth community were buying and selling across the ASX through their Selfwealth trading accounts during June.

Which shares and ETFs were the most held?

Although this month names were a familiar sight when compared with those from May, there were some subtle changes that came about in response to changes in the fundamentals of certain stocks.

Perhaps the most-prominent movement was from a stock a little lower down the list, albeit drawing significant publicity. Milton Corporation (ASX: MLT) climbed into 15th place among the most-held stocks based on Selfwealth members' portfolios. The jump followed news that the Listed Investment Company (LIC) is the subject of a mega-merger approach from Washington H. Soul Pattinson (ASX: SOL). 

That prompted a 27.5% increase in the underlying stock, which was nearly mirrored across the Selfwealth community. However, there are some notes around how the stock is held. Despite being ranked 15th according to the collective value of holdings in MLT shares, the stock is ranked 94th in terms of the number of members who have MLT in their portfolios, and 39th by weight across the community.

Interest in travel stocks has largely been driven by a younger demographic from within the Selfwealth community, however, during June this eased in light of the COVID outbreaks that spread across the country and have since turned the tourism sector on its head. Both Flight Centre (ASX: FLT) and Qantas (ASX: QAN) retain their positions within the top 20 most-held shares, but they were among the few names that saw a net outflow in holdings. Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA) once again stood out towards the top of the rankings. In fact, the bank defied the trend among the top four names, which each recorded a net decrease in shareholding values. The collective value of CBA shares rose by 7.1% despite the stock shedding momentum from the middle of the month to rise just 0.2% across June. A notable portion of trading came in the week where CBA topped $100 per share for the first time, also going some way to explain the conflicting picture.The other name to have a bumper month was Wesfarmers (ASX: WES). Although it may have edged just one place higher into 13th position, the value of WES holdings across the community surged by 16% compared with gains of just 6.7% in the underlying stock. Shares in WES appear to have resonated with those looking for resilient or defensive stocks amid the threat of lockdowns.ASX StockCompany1CSLCSL Limited2CBACommonwealth Bank3WBCWestpac4NABNational Australia Bank5ANZAustralia and New Zealand Banking Group6AFIAustralian Foundation Inv7MQGMacquarie Group8BHPBHP9FMGFortescue Metals Group10APTAfterpay11Z1PZip Co12TLSTelstra13WESWesfarmers14SWFSelfwealth15MLTMilton Corp16WPLWoodside Petroleum17WOWWoolworths18FLTFlight Centre19ARGArgo Investments20QANQantasETFs recorded some of their strongest month-on-month movements in terms of valuation increases. Holdings in each of the top 10 ETFs grew by more than their underlying performance, with the biggest lift coming from the Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY). This income-oriented fund increased just 2% last month, but holdings across the Selfwealth community soared by 36.8% as new sign-ups and HIN transfers contributed to the bulk of the surge.ASX ETFsCompany1VASVanguard Australian Shares Index ETF2VDHGVanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF3VGSVanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF4VTSVanguard U.S. Total Market Shares Index ETF5A200BetaShares Australia 200 ETF6IVVIshares S&P 500 ETF7NDQBetashares Nasdaq 100 ETF8VEUVanguard All-World ex-U.S. Shares Index ETF9ASIABetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF10VHYVanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF

ASX share trading activity

Volume shifted back to the Betashares Australian Equities Strong Bear Hedge Fund (ASX: BBOZ), however, with trading skewed towards selling activity, that means a number of traders were closing out their short exposure amid the rising market. Providing a contrasting picture was the Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF (ASX: VDHG), which turned out to be the sixth most-traded stock by value across the Selfwealth share trading platform in June. With 85.5% of the value of all shares traded coming from buy orders, and 92.7% of more than 3,000 trades being buy orders, it was decisively clear that Selfwealth members wanted exposure to the diversified ETF that also went on to declare a lofty distribution for unitholders.Appen (ASX: APX) and Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) were two stocks that crept into the list of the most-traded shares as retail investors bet on a recovery for the duo. Although both have been struggling in recent times, with Appen facing competition and Northern Star the subject of volatile gold prices, nearly $40 million in shares changed hands in June across the two stocks.Turning to ecommerce business Kogan (ASX: KGN), and selling pressure was evident throughout the month, despite a gradual increase in the share price steering it away from its lowest level since May, 2020. The value of buy orders was just 37.3% of all trading in the stock, and by trade numbers, selling activity still outweighed buying interest, suggesting investors have been keen to sell into the rally. Another popular trade last month was Vulcan Resources (ASX: VUL), with the aspiring zero carbon lithium producer the subject of nearly 1,000 trades despite returning just 0.8% across the month. Betmakers Technology (ASX: BET) also garnered attention from hundreds of buyers seeking to buy the dip' shortly after its shares fell in response to plans to bid for Tabcorp (ASX: TAH) wagering division. A slump of 8.6% across June failed to deter buyers, with buy orders accounting for nearly 70% of all trades, the highest ratio of any non-ETF stock in the top 20 stocks by trade numbers.Top 20 stocks traded by valueCode SecurityBuy-Sell Ratio1FMGFortescue Metals Group50.0%2Z1PZip Co51.7%3BBOZBetashares Australian Equities Strong Bear Hedge Fund43.7%4VASVanguard Australian Shares Index ETF73.8%5ANZANZ51.5%6VDHGVanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF85.5%7APTAfterpay44.8%8WBCWestpac44.3%9FLTFlight Centre47.4%10NABNAB49.4%11APXBetaShares Australia 200 ETF49.7%12NSTNorthern Star Resources61.4%13CBACommonwealth Bank60.3%14MQGMacquarie Group48.1%15TLSTelstra45.1%16KGNKogan37.3%17GEARBetaShares Geared Australian Equity (Hedge Fund)53.8%18CSLCSL37.2%19BHPBHP57.6%20BETBetmakers51.1%

That all for this Trade Trends report, stay tuned for the next edition this time next month!