It was a sobering end to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday.
After closing slightly lower yesterday, the ASX 200 saw more selling pressure over today's session, closing 0.27% lower. That leaves the index at 8,515.7 points as we head into the (long for many) weekend.
This depressing end to the trading week for the ASX follows an even more bearish night up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a volatile session, but ended up closing 0.25% lower.
It was even wilder for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), though, which gave up a midday lead to plunge 0.83%.
But let's get back to the Australian markets now, though and check out what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Friday.
Winners and losers
It was a bleak day for most of the stock market, with only a few sectors pulling off a rise. More on those in a moment, though.
First, leading the red sectors were, once again, gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) continued its recent poor form, crashing another 1.8% lower.
Tech stocks didn't have a nice day either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) plunging 0.69%.
Healthcare shares weren't much better. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up tanking 0.68% today.
Consumer discretionary stocks were punished as well, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.61% drop.
Following consumer discretionary stocks, we had financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up slumping 0.44%.
Communications stocks performed almost identically, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) taking a 0.43% bath.
Consumer staples shares were next. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) lost 0.3% of its value this Friday.
Utilities stocks fared a little better though, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.09% dip.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were in that ballpark too. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) slid 0.07% lower this session.
Our final losers were mining shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipping 0.06%.
Turning to the winners now, it was energy stocks that led the gains. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) jumped an enthusiastic 0.7% by the closing bell.
Finally, industrial shares eked out a gain, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.45% lift.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's winner came down to energy share Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC). Whitehaven shares surged up 3.58% today to close at $5.79. There wasn't any news out from the company, but perhaps investors took heed from a broker.
Here are the rest of today's winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $5.79 | 3.58% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $40.06 | 2.38% |
| Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) | $10.76 | 3.46% |
| Nufarm Ltd (ASX: NUF) | $2.15 | 2.38% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $23.71 | 2.24% |
| SGH Ltd (ASX: SGH) | $55.05 | 1.76% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $43.00 | 1.68% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $32.74 | 1.55% |
| PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) | $12.33 | 1.40% |
| New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) | $3.75 | 1.35% |
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.
