It was a wild and ultimately negative Tuesday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX shares today.
After kicking the trading week off with a bang yesterday, the ASX 200 initially spiked 0.4% higher this morning. However, investors proceeded to get cold feet over the rest of the session, with the index finally closing 0.014% lower at 8,541.1 points.
This nervous Tuesday session for ASX investors follows a far more optimistic start to the American trading week up on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a strong day, rising 0.63%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, gaining 0.47%.
Let's return to the local markets now and examine what was happening in the various ASX sectors today.
Winners and losers
Despite the market's loss, we still had quite a few sectors that managed to rise in value. But first, the losers.
Leading today's red sectors were industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) gave up an early lead to tank 0.6% by the closing bell.
Communications shares had a day to forget too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) diving 0.26%.
Mining stocks had a rough trot as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) saw its value dip 0.16%.
Energy shares and healthcare stocks came next, as you'll see by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.11% drop.
Financial shares were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) slid 0.1% lower by the closing bell.
That's it for the losers, though. Turning to the winners, it was gold stocks that shone brightest, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) soaring by 1.09%.
Utilities shares stood out as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up galloping 0.92% higher.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) had a day to remember too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.79% spike.
Consumer staples stocks were a little less enthusiastic. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) still managed a 0.45% improvement though.
Its consumer discretionary counterpart was in the same ballpark, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) lifting 0.4%.
Finally, tech stocks made the winner's cut, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.2% bounce.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Healthcare stock Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) took out the top spot today. Mesoblast stock rose a happy 11.18% by the closing bell to $1.84 a share. This came after the company released an update regarding its relationship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Here's how the rest of today's winners landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $1.84 | 11.18% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $4.02 | 9.54% |
| Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6) | $2.70 | 8.00% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.76 | 5.39% |
| Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL) | $3.82 | 5.23% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $3.21 | 4.56% |
| Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) | $20.14 | 4.51% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $33.59 | 4.38% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $0.935 | 3.89% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.74 | 3.50% |
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.
