The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed to stave off some selling pressure this Tuesday, possibly thanks to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)'s decision to hold interest rates steady, to close marginally higher.
After spending most of the day in red territory, a final rally by investors pushed the ASX 200 0.016% higher by market close. That leaves the index at 8,590.7 points.
This nervous Tuesday session for the ASX follows a negative return for the US markets last night following the long Fourth of July Weekend.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a nasty session, tumbling 0.94%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) had a near-identical experience, sliding 0.92% lower.
But let's return to the Australian markets now and take a deeper look into what was happening amongst the different ASX sectors this Tuesday.
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Winners and losers
We had plenty of winners and losers today.
Starting with the latter, it was consumer staples stocks that copped the worst of it. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) tanked by a chunky 1.44% this session.
Utilities shares were on the nose too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) cratering 1.1% lower.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) had a rough one as well. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) took a 0.56% hit today.
Healthcare stocks didn't exactly live up to their name either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.4% drop.
Energy shares didn't get a reprieve. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slumped by 0.14% by the closing bell.
Industrial stocks were in the same ballpark, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) sliding 0.1% lower.
Our last losers were mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipped 0.06% today.
Turning to the winners now, it was gold stocks that shone the brightest, as you can see by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 2.78% surge.
Communications shares were a little more muted. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) still managed to improve by 0.48% though.
Financial stocks came next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) rising 0.38%.
Consumer discretionary shares also saw some buying. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) lifted by 0.37% today.
Finally, tech stocks got a little love, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.17% gain.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Although most ASX gold shares shot the moon this Tuesday, it was Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) that took the cake. Vault stock rocketed 7.79% higher this session to close at 41.5 cents a share.
As we covered today, this seemed to be a bit of a bounce back from a stumble earlier this month.
Here are the rest of today's top performers:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.415 | 7.79% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $2.41 | 5.24% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.86 | 4.38% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.47 | 4.22% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $11.58 | 4.14% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $9.65 | 3.99% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $4.56 | 3.64% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $3.89 | 3.18% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.38 | 3.00% |
| Spartan Resources Ltd (ASX: SPR) | $1.95 | 2.90% |
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.
