It was a very sad end to the trading week this Friday for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).
Far from giving investors a Santa rally, the ASX 200 suffered another hefty drop, this one worth 1.24%, to close the trading week.
The index now stands at just 8,067 points as we head into the weekend.
This horrid end to a horrid week follows a more levelled Wall Street session this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to eke out a gain, inching 0.036% higher.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't so lucky though and dropped 0.1%.
But time now to grit our teeth and return to the ASX for a postmortem on the different ASX sectors today.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Despite today's market savagery, we saw a handful of sectors wrangle out a rise.
But more on those in a moment.
Leading the market's losses this Friday were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had an awful day, crashing 2.53% lower.
Financial stocks were also a trainwreck, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) tanking 2.4%.
Gold shares did a little better. Saying that, the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) still lost a hefty 1.27%.
Next up on the hit list were communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) took a 0.93% whack this Friday.
Healthcare shares also copped a beating today, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.84% loss.
We could say the same for consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) was sent 0.61% lower.
Mining shares had a rough time as well, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.55% downgrade.
Industrial stocks didn't make the cut, either. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) slid 0.44% lower.
Last for the losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) slipping 0.34%.
Turning to the winners now, it was utilities shares that came out on top. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) galloped an envy-inducing 1.54% higher today.
Energy stocks had a great day as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 1.24% surge.
Finally, ASX tech shares were given a reprieve. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rose by 0.17%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Leading today's scant winners was energy stock Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR). Karoon shares bucked the market convincingly and jumped 5.28% to $1.30 a share.
There wasn't any news out of the company this Friday, but, as my Fool colleague speculated this afternoon, perhaps investors were buying back in after Karoon's tough week.
Here's a look at how the rest of today's winners landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.30 | 5.28% |
| Ventia Services Group Ltd (ASX: VNT) | $3.58 | 3.77% |
| Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) | $16.18 | 3.45% |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $9.94 | 3.33% |
| AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL) | $10.98 | 2.23% |
| Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) | $18.20 | 1.96% |
| Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) | $23.55 | 1.95% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.08 | 1.90% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.36 | 1.88% |
| New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) | $5.00 | 1.83% |
Enjoy the weekend, and Merry Christmas!
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
