The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured an awful Thursday session today, as ASX investors' week went from bad to worse.
By the end of trading today, the ASX 200 had tanked by a nasty 1.15%, leaving the index at just 8,322.8 points.
This horrid session for Australian investors follows a far better morning for American investors up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) put on a decent showing, rising by 0.16%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little more timid, but still added 0.075% to its value.
But let's grit our teeth and get back to ASX shares now, for a post-mortem of how today's viscous selling hit the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
Despite the scale of the sell-off, we still had a few sectors that escaped today's market malaise with a gain.
But more on those in a moment.
The hardest-hit corner of the market today was real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) was slammed with a 2.23% sell-down.
Healthcare stocks also had a clanger, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) crashing 1.98% lower.
Financial shares had another shocker. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) cratered 1.96% today.
Mining stocks were also hit hard, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.28% plunge.
Utility shares weren't exempt from the selling. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) tanked by a nasty 1.09% this session.
Consumer discretionary stocks woke up on the wrong side of the bed too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) slumping 0.91%.
Tech shares fared a little better though, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.55% slide.
Turning to the winners now, the best place to hide out today was in communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) soared 2.33% higher today.
Energy shares managed to buck the trend too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) shooting 1.33% higher.
Industrial stocks escaped the carnage as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) rose by 0.71% this session.
As did consumer staples shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.21% improvement.
Finally, gold stocks proved to be a safe haven. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) ticked 0.14% higher by market close.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Thursday's winner was tech stock Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1). Megaport shares exploded 19.5% higher this session, finishing up at $11.40 each.
This dramatic surge in valuation comes after the company reported its latest earnings, which were obviously delightful to the market.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $11.40 | 19.50% |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $5.65 | 8.86% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $25.83 | 6.82% |
| Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) | $17.21 | 6.04% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $2.12 | 6.00% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $7.06 | 5.69% |
| Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS) | $4.14 | 5.61% |
| Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS) | $3.78 | 5.29% |
| Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) | $17.32 | 4.72% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $4.74 | 3.95% |
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.
