The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) decisively broke its winning streak for the week this Thursday, suffering a heavy loss.
By the end of trading, the ASX 200 had closed a nasty 1.06% lower, leaving the index at 7,721.6 points.
Today's miserly showing from the Australian share market comes after a more mixed session over on the American markets last night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a great time, climbing by a strong 0.44%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't so lucky though, falling by 0.18%.
But let's return to the ASX now with an examination of how the various ASX sectors handled this Thursday's market losses.
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Winners and losers
As one would expect, we had far more losers than winners today.
Leading those losers were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had a shocker, tanking 2.56%.
Financial stocks were also in the wars, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) cratering 1.71%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) didn't fare much better, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 1.33% collapse.
Healthcare shares didn't live up to their name this Thursday either. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) dropped 1.17%.
ASX gold stocks were no safe haven. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) saw 0.92% of its value melted away.
Communications shares were on the nose too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s loss of 0.66%.
Industrial stocks were another sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) lost 0.63% by the end of trading.
Tech shares didn't improve too much on that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) sliding 0.61%.
Finally, mining stocks also joined the pity party as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipping 0.49%.
Turning now to the winners, and energy shares were the place to be today. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a great time, soaring 0.56% higher.
Utilities stocks were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) got a 0.3% lift from the markets today.
Finally, consumer staples shares edged out a slight rise, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) crawling 0.09% higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's winner was energy stock Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX). Strike shares surged a pleasing 6.82% today, up to 23.5 cents each.
There wasn't any share price-sensitive news out of Strike today, but perhaps investors were inspired by the company's contribution to the Macquarie Australia conference.
Here's a look at the rest of today's best shares on the index:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX) | $0.235 | 6.82% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.40 | 5.26% |
| AUB Group Ltd (ASX: AUB) | $30.94 | 3.58% |
| PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) | $14.65 | 2.95% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.625 | 2.52% |
| Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) | $11.67 | 2.37% |
| AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL) | $10.35 | 2.17% |
| A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) | $6.26 | 2.12% |
| NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) | $17.74 | 1.60% |
| Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) | $6.30 | 1.45% |
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.
