Some say criticism of the Brent benchmark is unwarranted, particularly as the third benchmark, Dubai crude, is more opaque, with declining production and only a small trading volume compared to Brent or WTI.

WSJ: Brent Benchmark Is Skewed by Crude Measure

In the case of the most-active copper contract traded on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, Tuesday was the first rise in nine trading sessions, although volume was small with electronic activity only as trading floors remained closed due to Hurricane Sandy.

FORBES: Base Metals Slide In Recent Weeks On Demand Worries; Better Days Seen Ahead

Knight, through its relationships with trading platforms like Fidelity and TD Ameritrade, trades more funds and processes more trades than any other marketmaker and ranks second only to Merrill Lynch in published dollar trading volume.

FORBES: The Godfather Of ETFs

This kind of record trading volume plus volatility can only have been the result of extraordinary high frequency trading by computer and the quant hedge funds, going in and out of Apple and IBM and big bank shares dozens of times a day.

FORBES: The Battered Investment Class Has No Confidence in Markets, Companies, Banks, Governments

It only features companies who have a minimum average daily trading volume of 600, 000 shares.

FORBES: Brazil and China's Cheapest, High Volume Stocks

Huge stock trading volume spikes in the last couple of days have been a boon not only to the exchanges but to the new crop of alternative trading sites that have been trying to siphon market share away from them.

FORBES: Crank Up The Volume