As the market sell-off escalated, the ASX recorded one of its worst monthly performances in history amid growing health and economic concerns surrounding the Coronavirus. By the end of March, the ASX 200 crashed 21.2%, a result that would have been worse had it not been for a modest rebound in shares towards the end of the month.

Losses were widespread across the market, however, financials and energy stocks were hit hardest, while consumer staples shares performed admirably due to a frenzy of panic buying.

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

Which shares and ETFs were the most held?

The value of shares held across the Selfwealth community was largely down on account of the broad-based market sell-off. At the same time, the changes to the top 20 held stocks were minimal, indicating that a core selection of shares are being held across our members' portfolios.

On this note, CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) was the leading stock as measured by the total value of shares held in the global biotechnology giant. CSL was also one of very few shares that managed to hold up well in light of difficult trading conditions. Proving its resilience as a defensive business, the stock lost just 4.1% across March, which in turn meant that the overall value of CSL shares held by Selfwealth members edged down marginally.The Big Four banks retained their position near the top of the chart, despite the fact that the financials sector was brutally savaged during March. As We'll touch on below, however, banks remained a popular buying choice for many investors, with their beaten-down prices attracting value investors eyeing the prospect of long-term dividend income. Notwithstanding their popularity, we have witnessed an approximate 25% decline in the value of shares held in each of the Big Four since the end of January.In terms of major movements, just a couple months ago Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX: NEU) was one of the most-held stocks by value on the Selfwealth platform. Fast forward to March, and that valuation has dropped by about two-thirds, more or less in line with the drop in the company share price across that period. Similarly, Cochlear (ASX: COH) has tumbled down the list due to a fall in the value of its shares held by our members, down about 30% since late January.Meanwhile, it appears as though the likes of Telstra (ASX: TLS) and BHP (ASX: BHP) remain integral stocks that many Selfwealth members are relying on to help them ride out market volatility, while Woolworths (ASX: WOW) has also found some favour in the wake of its much-publicised surge in foot traffic and expected increase in sales.StockCompany1CSLCSL Limited2CBACommonwealth Bank3WBCWestpac4NABNational Australia Bank5AFIAustralian Foundation Inv6ANZAustralia and New Zealand Banking Group7TLSTelstra8BHPBHP9MQGMacquarie Group10ARGArgo Investments11WOWWoolworths12MLTMilton Corp13RIORio Tinto14NEUNeuren Pharmaceuticals15WPLWoodside Petroleum16WESWesfarmers17COHCochlear18FMGFortescue Metals Group19APTAfterpay20SWFSelfwealthAlthough most of the ETFs held by Selfwealth members were a familiar sight, there was one major mover last month. As a sign that many investors have been repositioning their portfolio to reduce their risk exposure, there was significant growth in the value of units held in the AAA Australian High Interest Cash ETF (ASX: AAA). In fact, in recent months this ETF was not even among the top 10, yet by the end of March, it was sitting in 8th spot. The combined valuation of AAA shares held by all Selfwealth members was double that recorded at the end of December.Elsewhere, exposure to direct index-based ETFs has reduced, with the likes of the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) and SPDR S&P/ASX 200 Fund (ASX: STW) both falling. Exposure to property is another area that our members have shied away from, with the Vanguard Australian Property Securities Index ETF (ASX: VAP) dropping out of the top 10 after a sharp fall in the valuation of units held in the fund.ETFCompany1VASVanguard Australian Shares Index ETF2VDHGVanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF3VGSVanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF4VTSVanguard U.S. Total Market Shares Index ETF5IVVIshares S&P 500 ETF6A200BetaShares Australia 200 ETF7VEUVanguard All-World ex-U.S. Shares Index ETF8AAAAAA Australian High Interest Cash ETF9NDQBetashares Nasdaq 100 ETF10STWSPDR S&P/ASX 200 Fund

Which shares and ETFs were the most traded?

Market volatility led to a huge spike in trading activity last month, not only by trade numbers, but as measured by the total value of shares traded by Selfwealth members. The surplus in buying volume to selling volume was still in place, even increasing among the top 10 stocks from a ratio of 1.14x in February to 1.23x in March. However, the extent of trading activity in bear-ETFs skewed these numbers, leading to some unprecedented numbers that we are witnessing for the first time at Selfwealth.PurchasesCodeSecurity1BBOZBetashares Australian Equities Strong Bear Hedge Fund2VASVanguard Australian Shares Index ETF3BBUSBBUS U.S Equities Strong Bear Fund4APTAfterpay5CBACommonwealth Bank6NABNational Australia Bank7CSLCSL8ANZANZ9FMGFortescue Metals Group10WBCWestpacSalesCodeSecurity1BBOZBetashares Australian Equities Strong Bear Hedge Fund2BBUSBBUS U.S Equities Strong Bear Fund3APTAfterpay4CSLCSL5FMGFortescue Metals Group6CBACommonwealth Bank7ANZANZ8VASVanguard Australian Shares Index ETF9NABNational Australia Bank10GEARGeared Australian Equity FundAs markets faltered, Selfwealth members flocked to the Australian Equities Strong Bear Fund (ASX: BBOZ). During March, buy and sell volume for the bear-oriented ETF soared. In fact, the collective value of buy orders for BBOZ was seven times higher than that of February, while sell orders also increased by a similar amount. Nonetheless, buying activity outweighed sales by approximately 10% when measured in dollar terms. In total, between buy and sell orders, there were nearly 6,000 trades involving BBOZ, well ahead of any other security, making it the most-traded stock and/or ETF from last month.Unsurprisingly, it wasn't just BBOZ in the spotlight, as the US-equivalent instrument also garnered attention. Almost 3,200 trades involved the U.S Equities Strong Bear Fund (ASX: BBUS), while the value of those shares grew a similar percentage to BBOZ. As a result, the ETF was the third-most bought, and second-most sold stock by our members last month, proving to be a favourite among traders.Meanwhile, as the market turned bearish, there was a noteworthy jump in the value of shares bought in long-time ETF favourite Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS). More than 4,200 buy orders were made, and the value of these trades were up about 41% on February comparable result.

As we alluded to earlier, despite featuring on both sides of the trading ledger, there was considerably more buying interest than selling interest in the Big Four banks. In terms of trade numbers, buy orders outweighed sell orders by about 3:1 and were valued at about 33% more in monetary terms.

Afterpay (ASX: APT) shares also saw a frenzy of activity, with the value of sell orders increasing by almost 300%. While significant, that was overshadowed by a 400% increase in the value of APT buy orders! Even as the stock dropped significantly last month, it appears to have lost few fans.In terms of special mentions, there were more than 1,300 buy orders made by Selfwealth members involving Qantas (ASX: QAN) shares, compared with just 250 sell orders. Despite the all but abrupt grounding of the airline flights, it would be fair to say Selfwealth members are banking on the company long-term outlook. Woodside Petroleum (ASX: WPL) proved to be another favourite of contrarian investors, with nearly 600 buy orders vastly overshadowing the 121 sell orders, even as the price of oil was crunched. What it does indicate, however, is that some investors are prepared to play the long game.

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