Well, it was a brutal day on the Australian markets this Thursday for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares, as investors once again grew pessimistic about the global economy. After starting deep in negative territory this morning, the ASX 200 stayed there all day, and closed down a nasty 1.43%. That leaves the index at 8,592.9 points.
This awful Thursday for the local markets follows a much rosier night over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) fared decently, rising 0.36%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little more tentative, inching up just 0.07%.
But let's get back to the unhappier market now and take a closer look at what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors today.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Today's selling hit most corners of the market, with only two sectors escaping unscathed.
But first, it was gold shares that were whacked the hardest. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a shocker, crashing 7.4% lower.
Broader mining stocks fared better, but the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) still cratered 2.43% today.
Financial shares copped a beating, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up tanking 1.64%.
Tech stocks followed close behind that, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 1.62% plunge.
Healthcare shares came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) had 1.18% cut from its total this Thursday.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) weren't popular either, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) diving 0.93%.
Nor were industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) retreated 0.77% this session.
Utilities shares fared poorly as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.7% dip.
Communications stocks didn't escape the onslaught. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) saw its value cut by 0.48%.
Our last losers today were energy stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) seeing a 0.29% reduction.
Turning to our lucky winners now, it was consumer staples shares that most effectively rode out the storm, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) adding 0.25% to its total.
Its consumer discretionary counterpart was the other thriver, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.15% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Winning today's index race was tech stock SiteMinder Ltd (ASX: SDR). SiteMiner shares rocketed 8.61% this session to close at $3.28.
This market-defying leap higher came after the company announced that it was launching a new product. The market evidently liked what they heard.
Here's how the other top stocks pull up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| SiteMinder Ltd (ASX: SDR) | $3.28 | 8.61% |
| Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI) | $1.92 | 6.37% |
| Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB) | $2.54 | 4.53% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $30.95 | 3.30% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $25.89 | 3.27% |
| Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $2.33 | 2.64% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $2.00 | 2.56% |
| Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL) | $3.64 | 2.25% |
| Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) | $10.10 | 2.23% |
| Block Inc (ASX: XYZ) | $98.91 | 1.84% |
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.
