The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured another tough day on the ASX this Friday to close out the trading week.
The ASX 200 wasn't able to hold the positive momentum we saw yesterday and ended up finishing 0.82% lower. As we head into the weekend, the index is at 7,646.5 points.
This unhappy turn for the local markets comes after a similarly bearish night up on the American markets last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was punished last night, dropping 2.5%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared even worse, tanking a horrid 4.31%.
Let's return to ASX shares now and examine how the various ASX sectors dealt with today's rough market.
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Winners and losers
There were only a couple of sectors that rose this Friday. But more on those in a moment.
Leading today's losses were healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) was slammed this session, cratering 2.68%.
Utilities shares were also punished, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) diving 2.07%.
Energy stocks were also shunned. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was sent home 1.81% lighter this session.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) weren't much better, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 1.48% slump.
Tech shares gave up some of yesterday's rise, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had tanked 1.16% by the closing bell.
Financial stocks also found themselves on the wrong list, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) shrinking by 0.89%.
Industrial shares were sold off as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) suffered a 0.34% swing this Friday.
Mining stocks didn't have a lot of fun either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.24% dip.
Our final losers were consumer staples shares and communications stocks. Both the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) slipped by 0.01% today.
Turning to the winners now, the best sector from today's trading was gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) surged by a happy 5.16%.
Consumer discretionary stocks were our other winners, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.41% jump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's leading stock was gold miner Emerald Resources NL (ASX: EMR). Most ASX gold stocks had a great day, thanks to a new record high for the precious metal. But Emerald was the clear favourite with its 8.42% rise to $4.12 a share.
Here's a look at the other impressive top performers from today's session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Emerald Resources NL (ASX: EMR) | $4.12 | 8.42% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $7.70 | 7.84% |
| De Grey Mining Ltd (ASX: DEG) | $2.50 | 5.93% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) | $21.40 | 5.52% |
| Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) | $83.31 | 5.35% |
| Lifestyle Communities Ltd (ASX: LIC) | $7.69 | 4.77% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.45 | 4.65% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.95 | 4.61% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $4.57 | 4.10% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $9.18 | 3.26% |
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.
