It was a rough return to earth for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Thursday. After a relatively positive week thus far, investors took a breather today, with the ASX 200 retreating 0.38%. That leaves the index at a flat 7,969 points.
This miserly Thursday session for the local markets comes after a similarly tough morning over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) gave up an early lead to sink 0.31%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared even worse, tanking by a nasty 2.04%.
Time to get back to the ASX now and see what damage was done to the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
It should come as no surprise to hear there were more red sectors than green ones today.
Leading those red sectors were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) crashed 2.33% lower this session.
Tech stocks were also singled out for punishment, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) plunging 2.07%.
Then we had consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) tanked 1.07% today.
Communications stocks had a similar experience, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.96% dive.
Industrial shares were out of favour as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ended up cratering by 0.78%.
Healthcare stocks weren't too healthy today, either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) retreating 0.62%.
Financial shares were our last losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) dipped 0.13% lower by the end of trading.
Turning to the winners now, it was energy stocks that were the safest haven this Thursday, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 1% leap higher.
Gold shares were another safe harbour. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) banked a 0.65% rise today.
Consumer staples stocks were in demand as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) soaring 1.19% higher.
Mining shares also proved popular. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) saw its value rise 0.34% this session.
Finally, utilities stocks were also a decent place to hide out for investors, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.26% lift.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's winning share came down to healthcare stock Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS). Helius shares soared a huge 10.69% higher today to finish at $1.45 each.
This big move comes after the company announced a special dividend during an investor day presentation this morning.
Here's how the other top shares from today landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) | $1.45 | 10.69% |
| Ramsay Health Care Ltd (ASX: RHC) | $35.09 | 6.20% |
| Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR) | $2.93 | 3.90% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.63 | 3.28% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.15 | 2.69% |
| AUB Group Ltd (ASX: AUB) | $30.65 | 2.65% |
| Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI) | $3.95 | 2.60% |
| Amcor plc (ASX: AMC) | $15.33 | 2.20% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.87 | 2.14% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $38.75 | 2.08% |
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.
