It was a disappointing mid-week session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After starting out strong this morning, investors got spooked around midday, turning what had been a healthy lead for the ASX 200 into a loss.
That may have been a result of today's inflation figures. Either way, the index ended up closing 0.4% lower at 9,127.8 points.
This tantalising hump day for the ASX followed a more robust night of trading over on the American markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) continued to push higher, gaining another 0.3%.
Over on the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), the mood was even more upbeat, with the index rising 0.66%.
But let us return to the local markets now and dive a little deeper into what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Wednesday.
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Winners and losers
Despite the market's choke today, we still had a few sectors that pushed higher.
But first, the standout losers this hump day were tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was hit hard, crashing 3.47%
Energy shares had a day to forget as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunging 1.52%.
Communications stocks were also on the nose. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) took a 1.38% dive today.
As were healthcare shares, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 1.21% tanking.
Industrial stocks fared a little better. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) still lost 0.6%, though.
Financial shares were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) dipping 0.57%.
Our final losers today were mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slid 0.01% lower.
Let's get to the winners now. Leading the pack were consumer staples shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 1.83% surge.
Gold stocks were also a safe haven. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had lifted 0.83% by the closing bell.
Utilities shares didn't miss out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) jumping 0.53%.
We can say the same for real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) jumped up 0.35% this session.
Finally, consumer discretionary shares managed to stick a landing, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.07% crawl higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top stock was retailer Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV). Lovisa shares were hot property today, rocketing up 12.73% to close at $27.62.
This big leap came after the company reported its latest earnings, which seemed to have exceeded expectations.
Here's how the other winners pulled up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $27.62 | 12.73% |
| Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR) | $2.76 | 9.96% |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $6.71 | 9.46% |
| Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) | $1.05 | 7.18% |
| Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) | $11.24 | 6.24% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $24.15 | 6.01% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $6.83 | 5.75% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $12.57 | 5.10% |
| Alkane Resources Ltd (ASX: ALK) | $1.98 | 5.04% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $23.42 | 4.75% |
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.
