It was a disappointing mid-week session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After starting out strong this morning, investors got spooked around midday, turning what had been a healthy lead for the ASX 200 into a loss.
That may have been a result of today’s inflation figures. Either way, the index ended up closing 0.4% lower at 9,127.8 points.
This tantalising hump day for the ASX followed a more robust night of trading over on the American markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) continued to push higher, gaining another 0.3%.
Over on the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), the mood was even more upbeat, with the index rising 0.66%.
But let us return to the local markets now and dive a little deeper into what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Wednesday.
Winners and losers
Despite the market’s choke today, we still had a few sectors that pushed higher.
But first, the standout losers this hump day were tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was hit hard, crashing 3.47%
Energy shares had a day to forget as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunging 1.52%.
Communications stocks were also on the nose. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) took a 1.38% dive today.
As were healthcare shares, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)’s 1.21% tanking.
Industrial stocks fared a little better. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) still lost 0.6%, though.
Financial shares were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) dipping 0.57%.
Our final losers today were mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slid 0.01% lower.
Let’s get to the winners now. Leading the pack were consumer staples shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)’s 1.83% surge.
Gold stocks were also a safe haven. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had lifted 0.83% by the closing bell.
Utilities shares didn’t miss out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) jumping 0.53%.
We can say the same for real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) jumped up 0.35% this session.
Finally, consumer discretionary shares managed to stick a landing, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)’s 0.07% crawl higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today’s top stock was retailer Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV). Lovisa shares were hot property today, rocketing up 12.73% to close at $27.62.
This big leap came after the company reported its latest earnings, which seemed to have exceeded expectations.
Here’s how the other winners pulled up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $27.62 | 12.73% |
| Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR) | $2.76 | 9.96% |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $6.71 | 9.46% |
| Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) | $1.05 | 7.18% |
| Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) | $11.24 | 6.24% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $24.15 | 6.01% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $6.83 | 5.75% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $12.57 | 5.10% |
| Alkane Resources Ltd (ASX: ALK) | $1.98 | 5.04% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $23.42 | 4.75% |
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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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 Electro Optic Systems and Lovisa. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Eagers Automotive Ltd, Lovisa, and Nine Entertainment. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.