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.
Image source: Getty Images
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.
