It was a rather depressing hump day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After yesterday's bounce back, the ASX 200 was back to red territory today, dropping by a hefty 0.67%. That leaves the index at 8,818.5 points.
This rather woeful mid-week session for the local markets follows a similarly downbeat night on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a rough one, dropping 0.27%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared a little better though, slipping by just 0.066%.
But let's return to the Australian markets now and explore a little deeper what the broader market's falls meant for the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
There were certainly more red sectors than green ones this Wednesday. Leading the former were gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was hit hard, plunging 1.79%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also punished by investors, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) tanking by 1.58%.
Consumer discretionary shares had a tough day as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) cratered by 1.05% today.
Mining stocks were also on the nose, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.94% slump.
Consumer staples shares were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) was cut by 0.78% this session.
Healthcare stocks had another not-so-nice day, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) diving 0.69%.
Financial stocks had a similar experience. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) took a 0.66% hit today.
Next up were industrial shares, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.19% slide.
Communications stocks were our last losers this Wednesday. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) ended up slipping 0.11% lower.
Let's turn to the winners now. It was utilities shares that were at the front of the pack, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) jumping 0.83% today.
Energy stocks had another strong day, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) saw its value rise 0.52%.
Finally, tech shares round out the list, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.14% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out at the head of the table this hump day was energy stock Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC). Whitehaven shares moved 5.21% higher today to close at $6.67 each.
This came despite no fresh news out of the company. Saying that, it was a good day for energy shares across the board, as we saw above.
Here's how the other top shares from today's trading pulled up:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $6.67 | 5.21% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $2.26 | 4.15% |
| Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL) | $2.63 | 3.95% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.90 | 3.45% |
| Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) | $16.97 | 2.72% |
| Karooon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.70 | 2.72% |
| Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) | $5.54 | 2.40% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.22 | 2.09% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $4.79 | 1.91% |
| PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) | $16.53 | 1.79% |
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.
