It was yet another down day for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday.
After initially rising this morning, investors were overcome with pessimism as the trading day wore on. The ASX 200 finished up at 8,126.4 points this afternoon, a fall of 0.19%.
This unhappy session for the Australian markets comes despite a happy night of trading over on the American markets overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) put on a decent show, rising 0.2%.
It was even better for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which managed to lift up 0.56%.
Let's return to the ASX and check out how the different ASX sectors managed to fare today.
Winners and losers
Despite the market's drop, a few sectors still managed to rise this Wednesday. But more on those in a moment.
Leading the red sectors were once again financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had another shocker, tanking 1.67%.
Tech stocks were also on the receiving end, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) plunging 1.2%.
Healthcare shares did slightly better. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) still cratered 0.88% though.
ASX communications stocks found themselves on the wrong side of the line as well, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.67% pullback.
As did consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) retreated 0.66%.
Industrial stocks were on the nose too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) dipping 0.47%.
Utilities shares were also shunned by investors. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) slid down 0.44%.
The final losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs), as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.04% slip.
Turning to the winners now, mining stocks were leading the charge today. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) rocketed up a huge 2.88% this Wednesday.
Gold shares were also running hot, although the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 0.74% gain wasn't quite as conspicuous.
Energy shares notched up another win as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) soared 0.43% higher.
Finally, consumer staples stocks pulled off a win, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) bouncing up 0.35%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Mining share Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) was today's best stock on the index. Champion shares soared 13.45% higher to finish at $6.75 each.
There wasn't any particular news out today about Champion Iron. However, most mining shares surged again today after yesterday's announcement out of China.
Here's a look at the rest of this Wednesday's winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $6.75 | 13.45% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $1.09 | 5.83% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $41.29 | 5.44% |
| Stanmore Resources Ltd (ASX: SMR) | $2.99 | 5.28% |
| Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) | $18.85 | 4.72% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.815 | 4.61% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $7.57 | 4.27% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $54.11 | 4.20% |
| BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) | $42.70 | 3.84% |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $6.71 | 3.55% |
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.
