The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) suffered a rather bleak trading day this Tuesday, not assisted by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)'s widely anticipated decision to once again hike interest rates by 0.25% (the third hike of 2026 so far).
After trading in the red all session today, the ASX 200 recovered a little towards the end of the day to finish down 0.19%.
That leaves the index at 8,680.5 points.
This miserable Tuesday for the Australian markets comes after a rough start to the American trading week last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a foul mood, dropping 1.13%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did noticeably better, but still fell 0.19%.
Let's get back to the local markets now and take stock of how the different ASX sectors navigated today's tough trading conditions.
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Winners and losers
Despite the broader market's loss, we had a few ASX sectors push higher.
But first, it was gold stocks that took the brunt of the selling this Tuesday. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was hit hard, tanking 0.75%.
Broader mining shares weren't popular either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) plunging 0.54%.
Financial stocks didn't do much better. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) saw its value slump 0.5%.
Consumer discretionary shares also had a day to forget, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.43% dive.
Our last losers were healthcare stocks, albeit barely. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slid 0.01% lower this session.
Let's turn to the winners now. Leading the charge were energy shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) soaring up 0.89%.
Tech stocks ran hot, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) saw its value surge 0.76% this session.
Communications shares were also in demand, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.71% jump.
Utilities stocks didn't miss out either. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) bounced up 0.67%.
Next came real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) adding 0.39% to its total.
Consumer staples shares were in a similar ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) went home 0.35% heavier.
Finally, industrial stocks stuck the landing, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.12% rise.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Our winning stock this Tuesday was gold miner Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM). Capricorn defied most of the stocks in its sector to push 9.33% higher to $13.01 a share. That came despite no news out of the company this session.
Here's how the other winners landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $13.01 | 9.33% |
| Ventia Services Group Ltd (ASX: VNT) | $5.89 | 5.75% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $45.75 | 5.22% |
| Pinnacle Investment Management Ltd (ASX: PNI) | $16.21 | 4.99% |
| Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) | $10.59 | 4.23% |
| Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) | $86.17 | 3.92% |
| Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) | $4.17 | 3.73% |
| Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) | $2.92 | 3.18% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $4.64 | 3.11% |
| Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) | $2.72 | 2.64% |
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.
