It was a rough end to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday.
After a strong start to the week, the ASX 200 continued Thursday's pessimism today, with the index dropping 0.42% this session to close the week at 8,294.1 points.
This rather sombre conclusion to the trading week on the ASX follows a mixed session over on the American markets this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) performed solidly, rising 0.25%
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way though, slipping down 0.05%.
Let's get back to this Friday now though and take a look at how the different ASX sectors are going into the weekend.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
As one would expect, the losers outnumbered the winners today.
Leading said losers were financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) cratered by 1.17% by the closing bell.
Consumer staples shares also had a rough one, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) slumping 0.91%.
The same could be said of healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) plunged down 0.71%.
Communications shares fared poorly as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.62% loss.
Energy stocks were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) endured a 0.59% dive.
Consumer discretionary shares did a little better, although the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) still retreated 0.33%.
Utilities shares were in investors' bad books, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) was walked back by 0.25%.
Tech stocks were in the same ballpark, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.21% dip.
Industrial shares were also among the losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was sent home 0.17% lower.
Our final losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) sliding 0.02% down.
Turning to the far less numerous winners now, gold stocks were once again the stars of the show. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) ended up shooting 0.97% higher.
Finally, broader mining shares were just behind that, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.96% rise.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out on top this Friday was recycling stock Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM). Sims shares had a great day, shooting up 6.18% to finish the week at $13.40 a share.
This gain came despite no fresh news out from the company for a while now. Perhaps positive sentiment towards other mining shares helped.
Here's a look at the other index winners from today's trading:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $13.40 | 6.18% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $5.41 | 5.25% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $9.81 | 3.15% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.63 | 3.95% |
| Deterra Royalties Ltd (ASX: DRR) | $3.92 | 2.89% |
| Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL) | $4.12 | 1.98% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $0.755 | 2.72% |
| Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI) | $24.06 | 1.82% |
| Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) | $119.04 | 2.22% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $6.99 | 2.04% |
Enjoy the weekend!
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
