The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) suffered a sour start to the trading week this Monday, continuing the pessimism we saw for ASX 200 shares for much of last week.
After bouncing around quite a bit in red territory this session, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.39% lower by the time trading wrapped up today. That leaves the index at 8,583.4 points.
This rather gloomy start to the Australian trading week follows a similarly bearish end to the American trading week on Saturday morning (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) gave up an early lead to finish down 0.26%.
Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was hit even harder, falling 0.93%.
But let's get back to this week and the local markets now for a checkup on how today's tough trading conditions affected the different ASX sectors this session.
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Winners and losers
Despite the broader market's drop, there were a few sectors that managed to attract some buying. First, let's go through the red sectors.
Leading those losers were again gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) continued its recent poor form, shedding another 3.66% today.
Broader mining shares weren't finding many buyers either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) cratering 2.22%.
Tech stocks were punished, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) slumped 1.54% today.
Healthcare shares fared slightly better though, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.38% dip.
We could say something similar for real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) slid 0.24% lower.
Our final losers this Monday were industrial stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) slipping by 0.14%.
Turning to the winners now, it was consumer staples shares that attracted the most attention today. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) saw its value spike 0.81%.
Utilities stocks were right on that tail, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.79% jump.
Energy shares continued to climb as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) added 0.53% to its total this session.
Financial stocks were also popular, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) climbing 0.41%.
Communications shares didn't miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) enjoyed a 0.3% bump this Monday.
Finally, consumer discretionary stocks scraped home with a win, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.16% bounce.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming in ahead of the pack today was industrial stock Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC). Reliance shares surged 6.85% higher this session to close at $3.12 each.
This healthy jump followed the news that the company would be dramatically increasing its share buyback program.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC) | $3.12 | 6.85% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.93 | 4.62% |
| AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) | $1.22 | 4.27% |
| Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) | $7.68 | 4.07% |
| DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX: DGT) | $1.89 | 3.86% |
| Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI) | $4.67 | 3.78% |
| Guzman y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG) | $18.63 | 3.21% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $1.01 | 2.55% |
| Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) | $20.83 | 2.21% |
| Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) | $7.69 | 2.12% |
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.
