The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) suffered another fall this Wednesday, helping to cement what has been a fairly rough week for the Australian market.
After a brief foray into positive territory at market open, the ASX 200 spent most of the day falling and finished 0.47% lower by the closing bell. That leaves the index at 8,353.6 points.
This not-so-happy hump day for ASX shares comes after a negative session up on Wall Street in the early hours of this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) continued its recent poor form with a 0.35% slump.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was also on the nose with investors, sliding down 0.25%
Time to get back to ASX shares now and take a look at what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Wednesday.
Winners and losers
There were only three green sectors on the ASX today, with the rest copping a loss.
At the front of those losers were once again tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had another shocker, tanking by 1.35%.
Industrial stocks also felt the heat, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) cratering 1.02% lower.
Energy shares were in the same ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) lost an even 1% today.
Utilities stocks improved on that a little though, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.7% fall.
Healthcare shares were the next cab off the rank. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slumped 0.63% this Wednesday.
Financial stocks were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) retreating 0.63%.
Mining shares had a day to forget too. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) ended up losing 0.41% of its value.
Consumer staples stocks were no safe haven, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.33% dip.
Our final losers were communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slid down 0.25%.
Turning to the winners now, the best place to be today was in real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) surging 0.88% higher.
ASX gold stocks were an effective safe haven this Wednesday as well. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) added 0.16% to its total by market close.
Finally, consumer discretionary shares eked out a rise, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.09% inch higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock on the index came in as Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR). Star shares vaulted 8.33% higher to finish at 19.5 cents apiece.
There wasn't any big news from the company today, though, so this might be a recovery move following the company's plunge earlier this week.
Here's a look at the other shares that topped the markets this hump day:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) | $0.195 | 8.33% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $12.11 | 5.30% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $0.865 | 4.22% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $13.44 | 3.62% |
| Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI) | $1.89 | 2.45% |
| Region Group Ltd (ASX: RGN) | $2.16 | 2.37% |
| Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) | $5.08 | 2.21% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.57 | 1.79% |
| Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) | $37.61 | 1.70% |
| Ventia Services Group Ltd (ASX: VNT) | $4.30 | 1.65% |
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.
