It's been another depressing session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday, making it three for three so far this week.
After tanking a horrid 1.3% yesterday, the ASX 200 dropped by another chunky 0.77% today, leaving the index at just 6,890.2 points. That's the lowest the index has been in almost a year.
This horrible hump day follows an equally savage session on the US markets last night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a terrible time of it, falling by 1.29%. It was even worse for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which cratered by 1.87%.
Let's get back to the ASX though and assess the damage from today's trading with a look at the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
The ASX was again awash with red ink today, with only two sectors being spared a loss.
But first to the losers, and no sector lost more today than the financials space. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) finished the day 1.53% lower than where it started.
Communications shares were another leading loser. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) crashed by 1.1%.
Then we have ASX energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was another sore spot, losing 1.06%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are next up. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) fell by another 0.7% this Wednesday.
Turning to ASX tech shares, there was little relief there too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) retreated by 0.54%.
Consumer discretionary stocks provided no real solace either, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.42% fall.
ASX mining shares fared slightly better than most, yet no one will be celebrating the 0.27% backward step of the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ).
Healthcare stocks and consumer staples shares were our final two losers of the day. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) lost 0.2% of its value, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) shed 0.14%.
Turning to the winners now, it was the gold sector that shone the brightest this session. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) recovered slightly from yesterday's shellacking, edging 0.78% higher.
The other place to be today was in utilities shares, demonstrated by the 0.34% gain of the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ).
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top-performing stock ended up being ASX gold miner Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS).
Ramelius shares rocketed a healthy 4.27% to $1.465 a share, despite no fresh news from the company. We can possibly thank some ASX broker love for these gains.
Here's how the rest of the best shares went this Wednesday:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $1.465 | 4.27% |
| Data#3 Ltd (ASX: DTL) | $7 | 3.24% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $4.02 | 2.29% |
| Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) | $2.73 | 2.25% |
| Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR) | $1.605 | 1.9% |
| Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX: SLR) | $0.84 | 1.82% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $3.17 | 1.6% |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd (ASX: FPH) | $20.28 | 1.6% |
| GUD Holdings Limited (ASX: GUD) | $11.53 | 1.59% |
| Nufarm Ltd (ASX: NUF) | $4.70 | 1.51% |
Our top 10 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.
