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.
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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.
