The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) endured a horror Thursday, with the Australian markets selling off heavily. We have seen pessimism on the ASX for most of this week, and that accelerated today, with the ASX 200 falling sharply at the open and reaching a 1.5% loss at one point.
Thankfully, sentiment improved slightly in the afternoon. But even so, the index ended up closing with a 1.03% loss at 8,819.4 points.
This depressing Thursday for the ASX followed a similarly bearish night over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was again in a foul mood, dropping another 0.77%
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't much better, losing 0.64%.
But let's grit our teeth and return to the local markets now for a post-mortem of how the different ASX sectors went this session.
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Winners and losers
It was a sea of red on the ASX boards today, with not one corner of the market escaping unscathed.
The least-worst place to be was in communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) got out relatively intact, only slipping 0.13% lower.
We can say something similar for utilities stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) sliding 0.33%.
Gold shares held up relatively well too. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) took a 0.48% dip.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) fared a little worse though, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.6% retreat.
Consumer discretionary stocks were in a similar boat. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) drifted down 0.63% today.
Energy shares came next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) receding 0.67%.
Healthcare stocks weren't exempt. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) shrank 0.71%.
Consumer staples shares were no safe haven either, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.75% reduction.
Financial stocks were hit hard. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) took a 0.9% dive this Thursday.
Industrial shares had a shocker, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) cratering by 1.04%.
Mining stocks were smashed too. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) tanked 1.62% today.
Finally, tech shares were the worst place to be, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 1.74% plunge.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Gold stock Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) came out on top of a fairly anaemic pile of winners this session. Ora Banda shares climbed 4.93% today, finishing the session at $1.60 each. That was despite no news or announcements from the company this Thursday.
Here's how the other winners tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) | $1.60 | 4.93% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $18.41 | 4.25% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $20.32 | 3.09% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $3.89 | 2.91% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.945 | 2.72% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $25.34 | 2.30% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.83 | 2.23% |
| Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) | $9.94 | 1.95% |
| Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH) | $137.58 | 1.68% |
| Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG) | $1.42 | 1.43% |
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.
