Well, the mild positivity that kicked off the trading week yesterday certainly didn't last until this Tuesday. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) suffered one of its worst trading days of the year this session, with investors selling down stocks with a vengeance.
By the time trading wrapped up, a full 1.94% had been knocked off the ASX 200. That leaves the index at 8,469.1 points, its lowest level since June.
This traumatic Tuesday for the ASX comes after a nasty start to the American trading week up on Wall Street this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a rough day, dropping 1.18%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little better, 'only' falling 0.84%.
But let's grit our teeth and get back to the local markets now, for a post-mortem of the performances of the different ASX sectors.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
We didn't have one sector that escaped today's carnage.
The best place to have had money in though, was consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rose out of the storm relatively well, only slipping 0.20% lower.
Healthcare shares were also spared the worst of it, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) sliding 0.52%.
Investors stepped up the selling of utilities shares, though. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) took a 0.74% dip this session.
Industrial stocks weren't any better. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) took a 1.29% dive today.
Nor were consumer discretionary shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sinking 1.33%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also down triple-digits, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 1.37% downgrade.
Communications stocks were in a similar ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was sent home with a 1.4% chip this Tuesday.
Things started getting nasty for energy shares, though, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 1.78% tumble.
Financial stocks were offloaded. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) tanked 1.9% by the closing bell.
As were mining shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) cratering by 3%.
Gold stocks were torched by investors. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) plunged down a horrid 4.62%.
But the worst place to be invested in this session was in tech shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s devastating 5.99% crash.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Building materials stock James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) was our lucky winner on this brutal day for the markets. James Hardie managed to buck the trend well, shooting 9.87% higher to close at $27.94 a share.
This impressive jump followed the company's latest quarterly update, which clearly gave investors a safe haven to hide out in.
Here's how the other top stocks tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $27.94 | 9.87% |
| GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) | $1.49 | 3.47% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $4.09 | 3.28% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.49 | 2.05% |
| A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) | $9.44 | 1.72% |
| Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) | $8.22 | 1.48% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) |
$0.925 | 1.09% |
| Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure Ltd (ASX: DBI) | $4.33 | 0.93% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $37.82 | 0.72% |
| Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) | $6.21 | 0.65% |
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.
