The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured a horror show of a day this Thursday, as the impact of America's 'Liberation Day' tariffs was finally revealed this morning.
By the time the markets closed today, the ASX 200 had sunk 0.94% to finish at 7,859.7 points. That came after the index fell as much as 2.1% in early trade this morning.
This rough day for the local markets comes after a relatively calm morning over on Wall Street (which closed before the tariff announcement).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, rising 0.56%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, shooting 0.87% higher.
But let's return to the Australian share market now and take stock of where the damage was felt from today's big falls amongst the different ASX sectors.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
There were a few sectors that escaped today's falls. But more on those in a moment.
The worst-hit corner of the market this Thursday was tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) took the brunt of investors' displeasure and crashed 2.87% lower.
Energy stocks were also singled out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunging 2.71%.
Broader mining shares were smashed, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) tanked 2.01% today.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) didn't get off lightly either, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 1.96% dive.
Industrial stocks got slammed as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) cratered 1.16% this session.
Next up were financial shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) sinking 0.58%.
Consumer discretionary stocks didn't escape the storm. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) suffered a 0.4% swing against it.
Utilities shares did a little better though, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)' 0.15% slide.
That's it for the red sectors. Turning to the green ones now, it was consumer staples stocks that were today's safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) bucked the market with its 1.27% surge higher.
Gold shares were also a safe harbour, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) soaring 1.25%.
Healthcare stocks rode out the storm, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) bounced up 0.23%.
Finally, communications shares had a decent time of it today, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.07% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's star index performer was gold miner Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS). Ramelius stock rose a healthy 5.22% to close at $2.42.
Most gold stocks had a wonderful day. However, Ramelius seemed to benefit more than the others, perhaps thanks to its rosy quarterly cash flow update that came out today.
Here is the rest of today's winning shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.42 | 5.22% |
| Spartan Resources Ltd (ASX: SPR) | $1.91 | 4.37% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.88 | 3.23% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $7.07 | 3.21% |
| De Grey Mining Ltd (ASX: DEG) | $2.14 | 2.88% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $37.77 | 2.75% |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd (ASX: FPH) | $32.34 | 2.73% |
| Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR) | $3.85 | 2.39% |
| Region Group (ASX: RGN) | $2.15 | 2.38% |
| Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) | $78.07 | 2.31% |
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.
