Here's how the ASX 200 market sectors stacked up this week

The ASX 200 fell by 0.02% this week, but healthcare stocks lived up to their name.

Sebastian Bowen

Author Bio Sebastian Bowen has been a Motley Fool contributor since late 2018. Sebastian found his passion for writing and educating others about shares and all things finance after completing his studies in political, economic and social science and enjoys bringing this passion to life at the Fool. His investment philosophy is a simple one – buying high-quality companies at prices that make sense. When he’s not researching his next investment at all hours of the morning, Sebastian enjoys classic movies and likes to unwind with a good book, newspaper or record. Areas of Expertise Dividend investing ETFs Education Bachelor of Political, Economic, and Social Sciences (Government and International Relations), University of Sydney Social Media X/Twitter Favorite Investment Quote "In the short run, the market is a voting machine, but in the long run, it is a weighing machine." – Benjamin Graham

Published November 10, 2023 5:13 pm AEDT

A majority of the ASX 200's sectors ended up banking a positive move over this trading week, despite the negative end we saw this Friday.

The best place to be this week was (fittingly) in healthcare shares.

The worst, energy stocks.

Overall, six of the 11 market sectors finished the week higher. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) retreated by 0.02% over the past five trading days to close at 6,976.5 points on Friday, thanks to today's loss.

Let's break down what happened on the markets this week.

a woman struggles to hold a large pile of folders and documents with only her eyes appearing over the top of the pile. — Image source: Getty Images

Healthcare led the ASX sectors this week

According to CommSec, this week's strongest performer was the healthcare sector, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) lifting a rosy 3.09%.

We can thank the ASX 200's largest healthcare stock, CSl Limited (ASX: CSL) for this move. CSL shares had a great week, putting away a rise of 3.34% to finish the week at $252.14 a share.

There wasn't a lot of news out of the company itself this week. However, we did see the vaccine and blood medicine giant showered with some love from ASX experts.

Another healthcare stock making some waves was Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU). Neuren shares didn't have much to say either. But that didn't stop this company's recent momentum from continuing, with Neuren gaining another 18.04% over the week.

Consumer discretionary shares also had a top time over the week just gone. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) ended up rising 1.63%.

One of the best-performing consumer discretionary stocks was appliance maker Breville Group Ltd (ASX: BRG). Breville shares soared 6.43% over the last five trading days, again possibly thanks to some recent broker recommendations.

On the other side of the tracks, we had energy sources as our worst sector to be in this week, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) losing a hefty 4.26% of its value.

Most energy shares had a horrid week, thanks to global oil prices coming off the boil. This is exemplified by sector leader Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) losing 5.38% since last Friday, finishing the week at $32.03 a share.

ASX 200 market sector snapshot

Here's how the 11 market sectors stacked up this week.

Over the past five days:

S&P/ASX 200 market sector	Change this week
Healthcare (ASX: XHJ)	3.09%
Consumer Discretionary (ASX: XDJ)	1.63%
Communications (ASX: XTJ)	1.34%
A-REIT (ASX: XPJ)	1.05%
Industrials (ASX: XNJ)	1.05%
Utilities (ASX: XUJ)	0.86%
Financials (ASX: XFJ)	(0.42%)
Consumer Staples (ASX: XSJ)	(0.5%)
Materials (ASX: XMJ)	(0.74%)
Information Technology (ASX: XIJ)	(1.81%)
Energy (ASX: XEJ)	(4.26%)

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