It was another negative day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After the markets shook off Monday's pessimism yesterday, the bears were back in control this session. After staying in red territory all day, the ASX 200 ended up closing down 0.45%. That leaves the index at 9,209.4 points.
This rather woeful Wednesday for the local markets followed a similarly downbeat night up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a foul mood, dropping 0.34%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was even more cross, falling 0.6%.
But let's get back to the Australian boards now and dive a little deeper into how the various ASX sectors handled this hump day's tough trading conditions.
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Winners and losers
There were only a few sectors that escaped today's session intact.
But first, it was real estate investment trusts (REITs) that bore the brunt of investors' displeasure. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) took a 1.02% plunge this Wednesday.
Consumer discretionary stocks were on the nose as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) tanking 0.81%.
We could say the same for communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) cratered 0.79%.
Consumer staples stocks were in that ballpark as well, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.76% dive.
Next came industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) sank 0.67% this session.
Financial shares didn't get a break either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) tumbling 0.59%.
Energy stocks weren't riding to the rescue. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) dipped down 0.42% today.
Nor were mining shares, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.19% slide.
Our last losers were healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) was sent down 0.09% this Wednesday.
Let's turn to the winners now. Leading the charge were utilities shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) galloping 2.54% higher.
Gold stocks were a safe haven too. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) jumped 0.3% today.
Finally, tech shares held up well, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.16% advance.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) was our winner this Wednesday. Codan shares enjoyed a big surge in demand today, shooting 9.3% higher to $44.54 a share by close.
There wasn't any price-sensitive news out from the company today, although perhaps investors got some inspiration from a presentation released this morning.
Here's how the other winners landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) | $44.54 | 9.30% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $78.97 | 7.88% |
| Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) | $8.59 | 7.38% |
| Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI) | $6.04 | 7.09% |
| AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL) | $8.72 | 5.95% |
| Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.25 | 5.51% |
| Arena REIT (ASX: ARF) | $2.34 | 4.46% |
| PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $4.88 | 4.27% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $20.66 | 3.71% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $8.07 | 3.46% |
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.
