It was a wild and ultimately red session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After yesterday's gains, investors were far more cautious today, with the ASX 200 spending time in both positive and negative territory. The bears won out, though, with the index closing at 8,727.7 points, down 0.092%.
This disappointing midweek session for the Australian markets comes after a more upbeat morning on the US markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) overcame some early jitters to finish 0.18% higher.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was a little more decisive, rising 0.45%.
But let's return to the local markets now and examine how today's trading conditions filtered down into the various ASX sectors this hump day.
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Winners and losers
We had plenty of both winners and losers this Wednesday.
Leading the latter were financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was left out in the cold today, plunging 0.59%.
Mining shares had a rough one as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) sinking 0.2%.
Industrial stocks were also left out. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ended up retreating 0.17% this session.
Next came communications shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.14% downgrade.
Our last losers this Wednesday were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up dipping 0.06%.
Let's get to the winners now.
Leading the charge were healthcare shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) roaring 1.09% higher.
We can say the same for gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) experienced a 0.94% surge.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) ran hot too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.8% jump.
Consumer discretionary shares were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) lifted 0.47%.
Energy stocks were next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) advancing 0.45% this hump day.
Consumer staples shares held up well, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had gained 0.11% by the closing bell.
Finally, tech stocks only just got across the line, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.01% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Wednesday's winner was the real estate investment trust Arena REIT (ASX: ARF). Arena units soared 12.98% higher today to close at $2.35 each.
This came after the REIT released a pleasing update regarding its childcare portfolio.
Here's how the other high flyers landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Arena REIT (ASX: ARF) | $2.35 | 12.98% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.14 | 4.61% |
| Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) | $21.28 | 4.47% |
| NextGen Energy (Canada) Ltd (ASX: NXG) | $13.48 | 4.25% |
| Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) | $3.56 | 4.09% |
| Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd (ASX: CWY) | $2.74 | 3.01% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $15.87 | 2.99% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $36.87 | 2.76% |
| Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX) | $4.50 | 2.74% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $14.76 | 2.57% |
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.
