The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) was a horror show this Wednesday, no way around it. By the time trading wrapped up, the ASX 200 had plunged 1.88%, finishing the day at 7,950.5 points.
My Fool colleague discussed why it was such a painful session for ASX investors here.
Today's hump day to forget on the ASX comes after the resumption of trading last night on the US markets following the Labour Day long weekend. That set the scene for today's carnage.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was given a very rude awakening indeed, slumping 1.51%.
It was far worse for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) though, which fell an awful 3.26%.
But let's grit our teeth and get back to the local markets with a look at how the different ASX sectors coped with the pessimism on the markets.
Winners and losers
Not one sector was spared from the wrath of the sellers today.
Leading the losers were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a clanger, cratering 3.95%.
Broader mining stocks were also punished, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) tanking 3.03%.
ASX energy shares weren't too far off of that. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunged 2.99%.
Then we had tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was hit hard as well, with a 2.45% collapse.
Financial shares managed a sub-2% fall though, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) getting slapped down 1.87%.
Communications stocks fared similarly. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) received a 1.66% correction from investors.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) came next, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) re-evaluated by 1.54%.
Consumer discretionary shares also had a day to forget. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) copped a 1.47% beating this Wednesday.
Its consumer staples counterpart was given a lighter punishment, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 1.18% dip.
As were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) was sent down 1.12%.
Healthcare shares were the second-best performers, but the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) still slid down 1.02%.
Finally, industrial stocks were the best place to be today. Not that you'd know it from the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.64% dive.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Somehow, we still had ten shares on the index that managed to rise in value today.
Leading the charge was packaging stock Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA). Orora shares soared 7.2% today to $2.68 after the company revealed it had agreed to sell part of its business.
Here's a look at the rest of today's luckiest stocks:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) | $2.68 | 7.20% |
| Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN) | $3.44 | 3.30% |
| Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) | $5.12 | 1.99% |
| Webjet Ltd (ASX: WEB) | $7.63 | 1.46% |
| Auckland International Airport Ltd (ASX: AIA) | $6.92 | 1.32% |
| Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU) | $7.92 | 1.28% |
| QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) | $16.25 | 1.18% |
| LendLease Group (ASX: LLC) | $6.76 | 0.75% |
| Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) | $7.77 | 0.65% |
| NIB Holdings Ltd (ASX: NHF) | $6.25 | 0.64% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
