The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) tumbled for a second consecutive session today to close under 6,900 points for the first time in six weeks. The index closed Thursday's trade 2.02% lower at 6,845.60 points.
It came as a number of shares including Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), and Blackmores Ltd (ASX: BKL) traded ex-dividend.
But it wasn't all bad. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) closed in the green, having gained 1%.
Today's worst-performing sector was the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ), tumbling 4.8%. It was weighed down by the market's largest participant, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP), which plummeted 7.6% as it traded ex-dividend.
It also followed a bad night for base metals, with all majors except nickel dropping. Meanwhile, gold futures slipped 0.6% to US$1,726.20 an ounce and iron ore futures lifted 0.3% to US$104.76 a tonne.
All in all, only one of the ASX 200's 11 sectors closed higher on Thursday. But which share outperformed all others? Keep reading to find out.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) share price recorded the biggest gain of the ASX 200 today, lifting 2.7%. Find out more about what the company has been up to lately here.
Today's biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) | $5.70 | 2.7% |
| Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) | $7.46 | 2.61% |
| New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC) | $5.00 | 2.04% |
| Lottery Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLC) | $4.51 | 2.04% |
| Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) | $17.77 | 1.2% |
| Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) | $36.42 | 0.91% |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH) | $17.66 | 0.86% |
| Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) | $4.15 | 0.73% |
| Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) | $11.66 | 0.69% |
| Ansell Limited (ASX: ANN) | $26.75 | 0.6% |
Our top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
