Well, that didn't last long. After yesterday's tentatively positive start to the trading week, many investors may have hoped we had turned a corner on last week's disastrous performance of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: JO). Alas, it was not to be.
The ASX 200 started in red territory this morning and only got worse over the session. By the time trading ended, the index had lost 0.88% of its value and had settled at 8,672.5 points.
This rather terrible Tuesday for Australian investors came after a similarly downbeat night on Wall Street overnight to kick off the American trading week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) did start strong, but ended up recording a 0.29% loss.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared even worse, dropping 0.56%.
But let's get back to the local markets now and take stock of how the various ASX sectors handled today's difficult trading conditions.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Despite today's pessimism, we still saw a few sectors make hay.
But first, it was gold shares that copped the worst of it. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) ended up crashing 3.08%.
Broader mining stocks had a rough one as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) cratering 2.21%.
Continuing with the commodities theme, energy shares also had a shocker. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) tanked 1.62% this session.
Financial stocks had a day to forget as well, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.08% plunge.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) fared a little better. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) still lost 0.59%, though.
Industrial shares were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) sliding 0.43%.
Our last losers this Tuesday were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up slipping down 0.12%.
Let's turn to the green sectors now. Leading the winners were healthcare shares, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 1.5% surge.
Consumer staples stocks held their value, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) jumped 0.88% this session.
Its consumer discretionary counterpart was just behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) leaping 0.87%.
Communications stocks were spared as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) advanced 0.32%.
Finally, tech shares managed to stay on the right side of the line, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.29% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Healthcare stock 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) was our chart-topper this Tuesday. 4DMedical shares roared 8.72% higher this session to close at $3.74 each.
This came despite no fresh news or announcements from the company today.
Here's how the other top stocks landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) | $3.74 | 8.72% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $17.75 | 8.63% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $20.52 | 5.02% |
| Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) | $18.70 | 3.54% |
| News Corporation (ASX: NWS) | $47.21 | 3.19% |
| AUB Group Ltd (ASX: AUB) | $28.91 | 3.18% |
| New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) | $6.47 | 3.03% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $31.37 | 2.85% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $67.19 | 2.85% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $16.79 | 2.69% |
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.
