It was a red hump day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After yesterday's enthusiastic rebound, the bears were back in force today, with the index starting in the red this morning and drifting lower as the session went on.
By the time the markets closed, the ASX 200 had shed a nasty 1.26%. That leaves the index back under 8,500 points at 8,496.6.
This rough mid-week session for the Australian markets follows a similarly negative night on the American bourse.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) drifted lower, dropping 0.65%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was even more pessimistic, falling 0.84%.
But let's return to the local markets now for a deeper look into how today's tough trading conditions filtered down into the various ASX sectors this session.
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Winners and losers
As you would expect, we only had a handful of green sectors today.
But first, it was gold shares that were singled out for the biggest sell-down. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) crashed 4.55% lower this Wednesday.
Broader mining stocks fared poorly too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) tanking 2.12%.
Communications shares were also out of favour. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) cratered by 1.67% this session.
Utilities stocks were right behind that, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 1.65% plunge.
We could say the same for real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) took a 1.62% dive today.
Industrial shares also had a tough one, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) shedding 1.48% of its value.
Financial stocks were a drag. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up sinking 1.11%.
Consumer discretionary shares were a little better, though, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.42% dip.
Our last losers this hump day were healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended the day down 0.23%.
Let's turn to the green sectors now. Consumer staples shares again topped the charts, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) lifting 0.15%.
Tech stocks managed to hold their value, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was bumped up by 0.05% today.
Finally, energy shares stayed above water, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.01% inch higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Winning the index race this hump day was tech stock TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE). TechnologyOne shares rocketed 7.34% this session to close at $29.84 each.
This may have been a reaction to some positive broker reports out today following TechOne's latest results.
Here's how the other top stocks landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) | $29.84 | 7.34% |
| SGH Ltd (ASX: SGH) | $41.45 | 3.11% |
| Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure Ltd (ASX: DBI) | $5.49 | 3.00% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $89.20 | 2.73% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $8.44 | 2.30% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $67.31 | 2.39% |
| GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) | $1.60 | 2.24% |
| PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $6.03 | 1.86% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $29.26 | 1.77% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $18.37 | 1.38% |
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.
