It ended up being a short-lived reprieve for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) earlier this week, with investors back to hitting the sell button this Thursday, and hard.
It was a shockingly painful day for investors, with the ASX 200 opening sharply lower and staying that way all session. By the time trading wrapped up, the index had plunged by a painful 1.65% down to 8,497.8 points.
This horrid Thursday session for Australian investors comes after a similarly dire morning on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was slammed, dropping 1.63%.
Things were only slightly better for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which fell 1.46%.
But let's grit our teeth and return to the local markets now for an autopsy of today's trading, so we can see which of the various ASX sectors were hardest hit today.
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Winners and losers
Despite the broader market's steep drop, a few sectors still came away with a win today. But more on those in a moment.
Firstly, the worst place to have been invested this session was in gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) suffered a calamitous 9.23% crash this Thursday.
Broader mining stocks were also smashed, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) diving 4.83%.
Tech shares weren't spared. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had tanked 2.97% by the end of trading.
Nor were real estate investment trusts (REITs), illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 2.36% plunge.
Healthcare stocks were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up cratering 2.16%.
Industrial shares couldn't escape the storm either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) shedding 1.95% of its value.
Consumer discretionary stocks followed just behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) came home 1.78% lighter today.
Financial shares were sold off as well, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.47% dip.
Our last losers today were communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slid 0.43% lower this session.
Let's turn to the far less numerous winners now. It was (no surprise) energy shares that cleaned up today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) rocketing 5.08%.
Consumer staples stocks were another safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rose by a comfortable 0.91%.
Finally, utilities shares were finding buyers, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.36% bounce.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Our ASX 200 winner this Thursday was (again, no surprise) energy stock Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA). Viva shares exploded 15.17% higher this session to finish up at $2.43 each.
It seems investors think Viva is a great place to invest amid the turmoil in energy markets at the moment.
Here's how the rest of the winners landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA) | $2.43 | 15.17% |
| Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) | $33.70 | 7.19% |
| Yancoal Australia Ltd (ASX: YAL) | $8.03 | 6.78% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $2.01 | 5.51% |
| New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) | $5.53 | 5.33% |
| Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) | $32.97 | 4.60% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.29 | 4.05% |
| Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) | $8.02 | 3.22% |
| Worley Ltd (ASX: WOR) | $10.47 | 2.95% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $21.22 | 2.61% |
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.
