The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has given investors a bit of a lacklustre finish to the trading week this Friday, recording a slight loss as we head into the weekend. By the close of trade today, the ASX 200 had built on yesterday's falls, and slipped by an anaemic 0.13%, finishing the week at 7,049.4 points.
This disappointing conclusion for the Australian session comes after a similarly miserly session up on Wall Street last night (our time) for the American Thursday trade.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a wild night but finished up in the red, recording a loss of 0.13%. It was a slightly better story for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which managed to eke out a slight gain of 0.07%.
But let's return to the local markets and take a dive into how the various ASX sectors closed out the week.
Winners and losers
With such a weak loss, we saw plenty of ASX sectors in both red and green territory today.
But starting off with the losers, it was energy shares that were the biggest drag on the markets. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had another horrid session, falling by 1.59% this Friday.
Following energy, consumer discretionary stocks were next up. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had an awful time as well, tanking 1.04%.
Utilities weren't making anyone happy either. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up closing 1.03% lower.
Consumer staples shares didn't escape unscathed. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) declined by 0.68% by the closing bell.
Communications shares weren't making too many investors happy. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slid by 0.66% to finish the week.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also a sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) retreated by 0.53%.
Our final loser was the financials sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended the day nursing a loss of 0.11%.
Now, onto the winners. Leading the charge were gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rebounded strongly this Friday, rocketing up a rosy 2.64%.
Tech stocks were the next-best place to be, although the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s gains were far more mild, rolling in at 0.43%.
Mining shares also managed to tease out a rise. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) bounced 0.36% higher by the close of trading.
Lastly we had healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) eked out a decent gain of 0.30%
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Dairy share A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) was our winner from today's trading.
The company rose a healthy 4.97% to $4.01 a share. This might have been caused by some fresh love from an ASX broker.
Here's how the rest of today's top stocks finished the week:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) | $4.01 | 4.97% |
| Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) | $7.87 | 4.24% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $9.39 | 4.22% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $3.75 | 4.17% |
| Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) | $0.38 | 4.11% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) | $11.76 | 3.89% |
| De Grey Mining Ltd (ASX: DEG) | $1.23 | 3.80% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $0.83 | 3.75% |
| Seven Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: SVW) | $31.43 | 3.63% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.455 | 3.56% |
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.
