The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended the trading week on a somewhat sour note this Friday. After what has been a mostly positive week for ASX shares, investors couldn’t quite stick the landing today. Despite a strong open this morning, the ASX 200 ended up losing 0.014% by the time the markets wrapped up trading. That leaves the index at 8,731.2 points as we head into the weekend.

This middling end to the Australian trading week followed a far more optimistic night up on the American markets.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) staged a decisive bounce-back, rising 0.61%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, gaining a healthy 1.69%.

But let’s get back to the local markets now and examine how the different ASX sectors fared amid today’s indecisive trading conditions.

Winners and losers

There were a few winners to balance out the red sectors this Friday.

But first, to the losers.

Leading the pessimistic sectors this session were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) copped some displeasure, tanking 1.31%.

Energy shares were also on the nose, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunging 1.1%.

Consumer staples stocks were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) cratered by 1.04% this session.

We could say the same for communications shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)’s 0.77% retreat.

Financial stocks weren’t finding many buyers. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) gave back 0.59%.

Consumer discretionary shares were just ahead of that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) diving 0.54%.

Healthcare stocks weren’t feeling the love. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up sliding 0.36% lower.

Our last losers this Friday were industrial shares, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)’s 0.16% slip.

Turning to the winners now, it was gold stocks that shone the brightest. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) soared 3.9% higher this session.

Broader mining shares ran hot too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) roaring 1.6% higher.

Tech stocks got some love as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) added 0.73% to its total today.

Finally, utilities shares got over the line, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)’s 0.14% bump.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Healthcare stock 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) was our best performer this Friday. 4DMedical shares rocketed 13.42% this session to close the week at $4.31 each.

We dove into what might have caused this rally this afternoon.

Here’s the rest of today’s best:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX)	$4.31	13.42%
Develop Global Ltd (ASX: DVP)	$5.29	11.84%
IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX)	$3.00	10.29%
Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1)	$18.54	7.60%
PDI Gold Ltd (ASX: PDI)	$4.91	7.51%
Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM)	$1.53	7.37%
Greatland Resources Ltd (ASX: GGP)	$11.05	5.54%
Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU)	$6.34	5.49%
Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD)	$7.60	5.26%
Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX: MND)	$30.62	5.22%

Enjoy the weekend!

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.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Wall Street just shrugged off the Fed rate hike. Could the ASX 200 be next?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Friday

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Investing in managed funds isn’t as popular on the ASX as it used to be. However, despite the rise of rival products, mainly exchange-traded funds (ETFs), managed funds are still a popular avenue for Australian passive investors.

If you weren’t aware, a managed fund is an unlisted investment. Unlike a share, ETF, or listed investment company (LIC), an investor doesn’t typically buy shares or units of a managed fund on the ASX. Instead, they buy and sell units directly from the fund manager itself. The assets themselves are held in a trust and are managed on behalf of the owners by the fund manager. Because of this structure, managed funds tend to charge higher fees than other passive investment vehicles.

One can find managed funds to invest in almost anything one can think of. In Australia, there are managed funds that cover international shares, bonds, infrastructure, cryptocurrencies, precious metals, real estate, and, of course, ASX shares themselves.

I’ve observed the performance of the top managed funds in Australia for many years and have even invested in a few of them. I wish I knew a very important thing when I did make that first investment.

The events of last week involving Bennelong Funds Management brought this back to the front of my attention. Bennelong was one of the ASX’s most successful fund managers for many years, attracting large sums of funds under management. However, its performance has had a couple of rough years. When this happens, it often results in an exodus of funds, placing even more pressure on its managers. You can ask the folks over at Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) all about that. This week, it was revealed that Bennelong has been sold to Antipodes Partners.

Managed funds and ETFs on the ASX

Over my years of observing funds like Bennelong, I have noticed a pattern. The ASX always has a fund manager of the moment. A manager that hits impressive performance figures for a few years, drawing plenty of attention and extra dollars. Investors wonder how they did it, and whether they should invest. Years ago, it was Magellan and Bennelong. Today, it could be the high-flyers at L1 Group Ltd (ASX: L1G).

This can last for one, three, or even five years. However, what I have observed over a long period of time is that very few fund managers enjoy more than a year or two in the sun. Most simply cannot match or beat the index over long periods of time, especially enough to offset the fees that they charge.

I wish I knew this when I first started investing in ASX shares. If I did, I would have put more money in ultra-cheap index funds, like the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) or the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV). These funds charge minuscule management fees, and yet tend to beat out the managed funds that play in the same space that they do. There are exceptions. But finding those is a hard business. And there’s never a guarantee that past performance continues into the future.

As such, I think the vast majority of ASX investors would be better off sticking to these kinds of funds than experimenting with managed funds, LICs, or actively managed ETFs.

The post Do you invest in ASX managed funds? Here’s something I wish I knew 10 years ago appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• Vanguard ETFs vs. Betashares ETFs: Who’s coming out on top?
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended iShares S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) shares have been hit pretty hard this week, and Friday hasn’t brought much relief.

The stock is down another 1.04% to $53.54 in afternoon trade.

That takes its decline to around 12.6% over the past 5 sessions and more than 20% down in a month.

Interestingly, there hasn’t been a major company announcement this week to explain the selling.

So, what exactly is going on?

Lithium prices are sliding again

The first place I’d look is the lithium market, which has had a rough few weeks.

According to Trading Economics, lithium carbonate is currently trading around 134,300 yuan per tonne.

That leaves the commodity down more than 12% over the past month after a strong run through the first-half of 2026.

And Mineral Resources isn’t the only lithium stock being sold off.

PLS Group Ltd (ASX: PLS) shares are down 17.58% over the past month, while Liontown Resources Ltd(ASX: LTR) has fallen 21.35%.

Mineral Resources has plenty riding on lithium as well.

The segment generated $771 million of underlying EBITDA in FY26, helped by record sales volumes and higher prices.

What’s been hitting lithium?

A couple of developments out of China have knocked lithium prices around this month.

Earlier in September, Shanghai Metals Market changed the way it measures lithium carbonate inventories.

The survey now includes more traders, battery manufacturers and other holders than it did previously.

That quickly pushed reported inventories higher.

However, much of the increase came from the expanded survey itself.

Reuters also reported last week that China had temporarily paused approvals for new battery energy storage manufacturing projects.

The sector is now being reviewed before new projects are allowed to move ahead.

What about iron ore?

Iron ore doesn’t look like the reason Mineral Resources shares have been falling this week.

At the time of writing, iron ore is trading around US$97.42 per tonne.

That’s actually up around 2.3% over the past month, although the commodity is still 7.4% lower than a year ago.

And iron ore is now a huge part of the Mineral Resources business.

The division generated $1 billion of underlying EBITDA in FY26, making it the company’s biggest earnings contributor.

A large chunk of that came from Onslow Iron, which contributed $909 million after ramping up production during the year.

Mineral Resources is guiding for attributable iron ore sales of 20 million to 21.7 million tonnes in FY27.

The post Why has the Mineral Resources share price fallen 12% this week? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Could this evolving development smash ASX lithium shares like Liontown, Mineral Resources and PLS?
• These ASX 200 shares could return 50% to 85%
• Is the PLS Group share price a buy in September?
• ASX 200 drops again as selling continues
• Buy, hold, sell: Magellan, Iluka Resources, PLS Group shares

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.