The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended the trading week on a very sour note this Friday, cementing the end of a rough fortnight for the Australian share market.
By the end of trading this Friday, the ASX 200 had plunged down 1.16%, leaving the index at just 8,172.4 points.
This dismal conclusion to the week's trading for the ASX follows a similarly awful morning over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) slumped by 0.45% this morning, despite spending much of the day in positive territory.
It was far worse for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) though, which crashed 2.78% lower.
But let's grit our teeth, get back to the local markets now, and assess the damage from today's trading in the different ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
Only one ASX sector escaped today's market carnage. But more on that in a moment.
The worst place to be invested this Friday was in tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was singled out for punishment, crashing 2.86% lower.
Mining shares were almost as bad, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) plunging 2.47%.
Gold stocks were no safe haven. Today, the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) tanked by 2.36%.
Consumer staples shares bore much of the selling as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 2.25% dive.
Next on the red list were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) lost 1.55% of its value today.
Consumer discretionary stocks weren't far off that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) cratering by 1.43%.
Utility shares took a hit, also. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up slumping 1.11%.
As did healthcare stocks, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 1.07% shellacking.
Industrial shares weren't spared. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was sent home 0.91% lower today.
Energy stocks were also affected, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slipping 0.66%.
Our final losers were financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) got off relatively lightly, though, dipping 0.31%.
Our only winners today were communications stocks. Investors were clearly hiding out in this sector, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.24% rise.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Friday, real estate services company PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) led the top shares on the index.
PEXA shares shot 8.08% higher today to finish at $12.31 each. This move comes after the company released its latest earnings report card to investors this morning, which obviously went down well.
Here are the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) | $12.31 | 8.08% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $23.30 | 7.18% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.54 | 5.50% |
| Waypoint REIT Ltd (ASX: WPR) | $2.41 | 2.99% |
| EVT Ltd (ASX: EVT) | $14.60 | 2.96% |
| Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN) | $5.22 | 2.55% |
| TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) | $4.63 | 2.43% |
| Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI) | $6.11 | 2.35% |
| Flether Building Ltd (ASX: FBU) | $3.04 | 2.01% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $29.09 | 1.82% |
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.
