It was another red day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday, albeit nowhere near as punishing as yesterday's clanger. By the time trading wrapped up this session, the ASX 200 had drifted another 0.25% lower. That leaves the index at 8,447.9 points.
This disappointing hump day for the local markets follows a far more negative morning over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) again found itself in a tailspin, shedding another 1.07%.
It was slightly worse again for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which dropped 1.21%.
But let's return to ASX shares now and take a deeper look at what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Wednesday.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Despite the broader market's fall, there were still a few sectors that powered ahead today. But more on those in a moment.
Firstly, it was financial shares that suffered the most. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had cratered by another 1.19% by the closing bell.
Utilities stocks were not popular either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) diving 0.52%.
Tech shares endured another rough day as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) shrank by 0.5% this session.
Industrial stocks didn't hold up, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.37% dip.
Coming in next were consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) couldn't quite hold its value this Wednesday, slumping 0.26%.
We could say the same for communications stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) sliding 0.16% lower.
Healthcare shares were our last losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up slipping 0.13%.
Let's turn to the winners now. It was gold stocks that rebounded most spectacularly today, as evidenced by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 2.34% surge.
Energy shares ran fairly hot, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) saw its value soar 0.86% higher.
Mining stocks managed to pull off a win as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) lifting 0.67% this Wednesday.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) performed identically. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) also rose 0.67%.
Finally, consumer discretionary shares managed to stick the landing, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sinking 1.33%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best index stock came in as investment manager GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG). GQG stock shot up a healthy 9.06% to finish at $1.63. Investors seem to be continuing to buy this company following an investor presentation on Monday afternoon.
Here's how the other top shares from today pulled up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) | $1.63 | 9.06% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $15.44 | 5.61% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $5.66 | 4.62% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $7.26 | 4.46% |
| Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) | $142.00 | 4.43% |
| Greatland Resources Ltd (ASX: GGP) | $7.69 | 3.36% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.23 | 2.93% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $6.35 | 2.92% |
| Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SHL) | $21.49 | 2.87% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) | $25.59 | 2.85% |
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.
