The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended last week on a sour note, and started the week off no sweeter this Monday.
It seems the weekend wasn't enough to bring some optimism to investors' minds, with the ASX 200 opening sharply lower this morning and staying in red territory all day. By the time trading wrapped up, the index had lost 0.46% and finished at 9,073.2 points.
This cold-water start to the week's trading for the Australian markets comes after a similarly gloomy end to the American trading week on Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) wasn't getting any Friday cheer, dropping 0.2%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared slightly worse, falling 0.28%.
But let's return to this week and our local markets now and dig a little deeper into how today's pessimism spilled over into the different ASX sectors today.
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Winners and losers
Despite the market's drop, we had a handful of sectors that managed to come out ahead.
But first, it was consumer discretionary stocks that bore the brunt of the selling. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) was smashed this session, plunging a flat 3%.
Financial shares were hit hard too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) cratering 1.76%.
We could say something similar for real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) saw its value tank by 1.04% this Monday.
Healthcare stocks weren't much better, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.85% dive.
Utilities shares weren't exempt from investors' bad mood. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) saw its total cut by 0.65%.
Nor were tech stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) sinking 0.54%.
Industrial shares were also dragged lower. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ended the day 0.31% behind where it started.
Our last losers this Monday were consumer staples stocks, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.24% dip.
Turning to the more exciting sectors now, it was gold shares that were at the front of the pack. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) enjoyed a 3.77% surge today.
Broader mining stocks ran hot too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) shooting 1.76% higher.
Energy shares continued the commodities theme for the winners. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was lifted 0.93% by investors this Monday.
Finally, communications stocks got out unscathed, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.2% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Taking out the top spot this Monday was biotech company Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB). Mesoblast shares exploded 10.86% higher today to close at $2.45 each.
This came after the company released some big news regarding one of its drug trials.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $2.45 | 10.86% |
| IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) | $3.54 | 7.60% |
| Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX: PDI) | $0.85 | 6.25% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $6.55 | 5.99% |
| Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) | $8.95 | 5.67% |
| Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF) | $5.62 | 5.64% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $13.89 | 5.15% |
| Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) | $1.38 | 4.96% |
| Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd (ASX: KCN) | $5.00 | 4.60% |
| PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $5.09 | 4.52% |
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.
