It was another day and another loss notched up for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday.
By the time trading wrapped up, the ASX 200 had descended by another 0.48%, leaving the index at 7,749.1 points.
This depressing Thursday session for ASX shares follows a more upbeat morning over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) recorded another loss, this time 0.2%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) managed to turn things around though, bouncing 1.22% higher.
Let's get back to the local markets now though and dive a little deeper into what the various ASX sectors were up to today.
Winners and losers
Again, we saw only two sectors eke out a gain in the market today.
But more on those in a moment.
First up, it was consumer staples stocks that were hardest hit this Thursday. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up crashing 0.94% lower.
It's consumer discretionary counterpart came next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) tanking 0.68%.
Financial shares had another rough day too. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) plunged 0.64% down this session.
Healthcare stocks were right behind that, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.61% slump.
Then we had utilities shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) sank by 0.55% by the closing bell.
Energy stocks had another tough day, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) diving 0.53%.
Following energy we had communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) retreated 0.49%.
Mining stocks were also sold off, as illustrated by the 0.35% dip in the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ).
Tech shares couldn't make the cut either. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) slid 0.05% lower today.
Industrial stocks were in the same boat, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) also slipping 0.05%.
Turning to the winners now, gold shares were the safest haven this Thursday. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) saw its value surge by 3.5%.
The other green sector was real estate investment trusts (REITs), as the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.02% lift shows.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Thursday's winner was gold miner Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX). Westgold stock had a phenomenal day, shooting 8.2% higher to $2.64 a share.
There wasn't any news out of the company that prompted this spike. Saying that, most gold shares had a great day (as you'll see below), thanks to a rise in the gold price.
Here are the other winners from this session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| WEstgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.64 | 8.20% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $9.35 | 6.49% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.27 | 5.83% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $7.84 | 5.38% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $3.22 | 5.23% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.44 | 4.82% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $3.37 | 4.66% |
| Lifestyle Communities Ltd (ASX: LIC) | $8.07 | 4.53% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $6.46 | 4.03% |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $3.14 | 3.97% |
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.
