It was a volatile and slightly sour end to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday.
After opening strong, the ASX 200 lost steam throughout the day and dipped into negative territory a couple of times, eventually closing down 0.034%. That leaves the index at 8,717.8 points as we head into the weekend.
This less-than-glorious wrap to the Australian trading week follows a mixed night over on the US markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a good mood, gaining a solid 0.55%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way, though, dropping 0.44%.
Let's get back ot the local markets now and examine how the various ASX sectors traversed today's tough trading conditions.
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Winners and losers
It was an even split between the red sectors and the green ones today.
Leading those red sectors were tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was not popular today, diving 0.48%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) had a rough time of it too, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) tanking 0.41%.
Financial stocks weren't quite as on the nose. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) sank 0.22% today.
Mining shares came in just in front of that, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.19% drop.
Next came industrial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) drifted 0.15% lower this session.
Healthcare shares were in a similar boat, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) losing 0.11% of its value.
Turning to the winners now, it was energy stocks that saw the highest demand this Friday. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) soared 2.12% higher by the close of trade.
Consumer staples shares also ran hot, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 1.02% surge.
Communications stocks were a little more muted. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) ended up lifting 0.37%.
Gold shares fared similarly, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) adding 0.25% to its total.
Consumer discretionary stocks managed to pull off a win, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) finished up 0.22%.
Finally, utilities shares eked out a win, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.03% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming in on top of the index chart this Friday was Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA). Codan shares had a blowout session, exploding 16.89% higher to close at $36.89 each.
This dramatic jump was a response to a positive trading update the company released this morning.
Here's how the rest of today's best fared:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) | $36.89 | 16.89% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.54 | 5.14% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $32.42 | 5.12% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $26.64 | 4.76% |
| DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) | $4.02 | 4.42% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $3.56 | 4.09% |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $3.07 | 4.07% |
| Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) | $6.15 | 3.54% |
| Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) | $8.06 | 3.33% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.10 | 2.80% |
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.
