The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a rough end to the trading week this Friday, as investors pulled back further from Wednesday's fresh all-time high.
After staying in red territory all day, the ASX 200 finished up the day with a 0.28% loss, leaving the index at 8,807.1 points as we head into the weekend.
This miserly close to the trading week for Australian investors comes after a mixed night over on the US markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) took some punishment, dropping 0.51%.
However, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way, ticking up 0.35%.
But let's return to the local markets and check out what was going on today among the various ASX sectors this session.
Winners and losers
Despite the market's losses this Friday, we still had quite a few sectors that managed to rise. But more on those in a moment.
Firstly, the worst-hit sector this session was again healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) was hit hard today, cratering by 1.46%.
Financial stocks had a rough one too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) plunging 1.08%.
Consumer staples shares weren't making friends either. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) tanked by 0.99% over the day's trading.
Tech stocks were right behind financials, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.96% drop.
Next up on the losers' list were communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) fared better than the above sectors though, retreating by 0.45%.
Our final red sector for the day was consumer discretionary stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sinking 0.04% by the closing bell.
Turning to the winners now, it was, once again, gold shares that topped the charts. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rocketed another 2.17% higher this Friday.
Broader mining stocks ran hot as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.42% surge.
Utilities shares had a decent time of it, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) saw its value increase by 0.55% today.
Industrial stocks followed utilities, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) lifting 0.43%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) saw some buyers as well. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) ended up bouncing 0.27% higher this session.
Finally, energy shares round out our list, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.04% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best performer on the index turned out to be financial services stock IRESS Ltd (ASX: IRE). Iress shares galloped 12.17% higher to close the week at $9.40 each.
This gain comes after some fevered takeover speculation, which the company addressed today.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| IRESS Ltd (ASX: IRE) | $9.40 | 12.17% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $1.93 | 9.04% |
| Block Inc (ASX: XYZ) | $126.12 | 8.30% |
| AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) | $1.88 | 7.14% |
| Nick Scali Ltd (ASX: NCK) | $20.49 | 6.89% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $3.08 | 6.21% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $5.00 | 5.71% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $6.01 | 4.16% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) | $18.08 | 3.97% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $12.62 | 3.78% |
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.
