It was a rather woeful Wednesday for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares today, as the red theme of the week continued. After falling on both Monday and Tuesday, the ASX 200 made it three for three this session, dropping another 0.16%. That leaves the index at 8,585.2 points.
Today's falls on the local markets followed a more tempered morning up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had another rough day, losing 0.62% of its value.
But the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) managed to go the other way, recording a rise worth 0.23%.
Let's return to ASX shares now and take stock of what the various ASX sectors were up to today.
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Winners and losers
There were far more losers than winners this Wednesday.
Leading those losers were, somewhat ironically, healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) had a horrid day, tanking 1.92%.
Energy shares had another tough session too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) cratering 1.38%.
Consumer staples stocks were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) saw its value plunge 1.3%.
Nor were tech shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 1.06% dive.
Utilities stocks weren't making friends either. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) lost 0.86% today.
Consumer discretionary shares found more sellers than buyers, too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) dipping 0.6%.
Financial stocks came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lost 0.43% this hump day.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were treated similarly, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.4% downgrade.
Industrial shares also had a rough time. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) slid 0.32% lower by the closing bell.
Our last losers were communications stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slipping 0.28% lower.
Turning to the winners now, it was gold shares that topped the index chart this Wednesday. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rocketed up a happy 4.08%.
The other winners were broader mining stocks, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.62% surge.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
It was lithium stock Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR) that took the cake today.
Liontown shares had a blowout this session, shooting 11.81% higher to close at $1.52 each. There wasn't any news out of the company, but most lithium stocks had a similarly bullish session.
Here's how the other top stocks tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.52 | 11.81% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $7.63 | 11.55% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $7.00 | 8.36% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.80 | 6.85% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $6.22 | 6.51% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $6.86 | 6.36% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $7.70 | 5.91% |
| PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $4.06 | 4.64% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.64 | 5.14% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $12.66 | 4.54% |
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.
