The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured a rough day of trading this Thursday and finished the second last trading day of the week on a sour note.
After a strong start this morning, the ASX 200 lost steam over the trading session, finishing up with a loss of 0.2%. That leaves the index at 7,713.6 points.
Today's disappointing ASX experience comes after a mixed session up on Wall Street in overnight trading.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had an average time, inching up 0.097%
However, the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't so lucky, losing 0.54%.
But let's return to the ASX now, and take stock of what the different ASX sectors were up to today.
Winners and losers
Despite the loss that the share market recorded as a whole, we still saw plenty of winners and losers this Thursday.
But starting with the losers, the most punished sector today was financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) plunged by a notable 1.88% by market close.
Consumer discretionary shares were a sore spot too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) suffered a 0.73% swing against it.
Communications stocks were right behind that loss, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) shedding 0.71%.
Tech shares didn't escape unscathed either. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) retreated by 0.67%.
The last loser was the utilities space. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) sank by 0.05%.
Turning to the winners now, these were spearheaded by gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) bounced back hard, surging by 2.23%.
Broader mining shares soared too. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) saw its value rocket 1.85%.
ASX consumer staples stocks did a lot better than their discretionary stablemates, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rising 0.55%.
Healthcare shares were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) grew by 0.43%.
Energy stocks came in next, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.15% bump.
Our final two winners were industrial shares and real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) inched higher by 0.03% and 0.01% respectively.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Taking out the top spot today was ASX miner Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR).
Sandfire shares had a wonderful time on the market this Thursday, banking a gain of 7.22% up to $8.47 a share.
This comes after some positive developments in the copper market, which we discussed this afternoon.
Here's how the rest of today's winning shares landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $8.47 | 7.22% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $3.38 | 5.96% |
| Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX: SLR) | $1.205 | 5.70% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.66 | 5.40% |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $3.02 | 5.23% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.043 | 4.88% |
| Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) | $130.00 | 4.67% |
| Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX) | $0.245 | 4.26% |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $2.10 | 3.96% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.005 | 3.61% |
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.
