It was a calamitous and brutal day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Thursday. After what had been a relatively pleasant week thus far, investors lost confidence today, and fast.
The ASX 200 opened deep in red territory, and just kept on falling. By the time the markets closed, the index had shed a nasty 1.99% and was left at just 8,614.4 points.
This awful day for the Australian markets came after a more nuanced night up on the US exchanges.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was also hit hard last night, dropping 0.86%.
However, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way, recording a rise of 0.24%.
But let's grit our teeth and get back to ASX shares now for a post-mortem of how the various ASX sectors coped with this Thursday's tough trading conditions.
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Winners and losers
No corners of the market were safe from today's selling.
The best place to be was in tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was relatively unscathed, 'only' slipping by 0.62%.
Communications stocks fared decently (at least by comparison) too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) sliding 0.85%.
Utilities shares came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) dipped 0.91% today.
Consumer discretionary stocks suffered triple-digit losses, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 1.18% dive.
Industrial shares saw stepped-up selling pressure, though. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) sank a horrid 1.75% this session.
Mining stocks were worse again, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) retreating 1.88%.
Gold shares were no safe haven. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was sent home 2.09% lighter.
Financial stocks found themselves in a similar boat, as you can tell by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 2.13% slump.
Healthcare shares didn't exactly live up to their name this Thursday. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up sinking 2.49%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) reversed the goodwill we saw yesterday, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) receiving a 2.51% cut.
Consumer staples stocks did not hold their value. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) crateted a nasty 2.55% by the closing bell.
Finally, energy shares took the brunt of the selling this session, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 3.03% plunge.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out on top of quite an uncompetitive field today was data company Data #3 Ltd (ASX: DTL). Data#3 shares rocketed 13.68% higher this session to close at $12.63 each.
This massive surge was prompted by a well-received trading update this afternoon.
Here's how the other top ASX stocks tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Data#3 Ltd (ASX: DTL) | $12.63 | 13.68% |
| PDI Gold Ltd (ASX: PDI) | $5.08 | 4.10% |
| 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) | $4.36 | 2.59% |
| Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) | $67.49 | 2.52% |
| LendLease Group (ASX: LLC) | $2.72 | 2.26% |
| Technology One Ltd (ASX: TNE) | $29.22 | 0.90% |
| DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) | $1.72 | 0.88% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $19.06 | 0.69% |
| Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) | $63.38 | 0.46% |
| Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF) | $5.76 | 0.17% |
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.
