S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares tumbled towards the week's end today, with the materials sector leading the downturn. The index closed 0.68% lower at 6,605.60 points.
It followed a rough session on Wall Street overnight. The S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) slumped 0.3% in Thursday's session overseas while the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) fell 0.46%. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQ: .IXIC) posted a slight gain of 0.03%.
The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) plunged more than 3% on Friday, driven lower by commodity prices and quarterly earnings from Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO).
Most base metals fell overnight. The price of nickel led the fall, slipping 8.3%, while gold futures fell 1.7% to US$1,705.80. Iron ore futures also disappointed, posting a 4.8% tumble to US$104.96.
Today wasn't all dire, however. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) recorded a gain of around 1%.
At the end of today's session, five of the ASX 200's 11 sectors were in the green.
So, which ASX shares defied the downturn to post the biggest gains on Friday? Read on to find out.
Image source: Getty Images
Top 10 ASX shares countdown
The best performing share of the ASX's 200 biggest companies by market capitalisation was none other than Genesis Energy Ltd (ASX: GNE).
The ASX-listed New Zealand electricity generator's shares lifted around 4% on Friday. Take a look at what the company's been up to here.
Today's top 10 biggest gains were made by these ASX shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Genesis Energy Ltd (ASX: GNE) | $2.50 | 4.17% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $44.13 | 3.42% |
| Metcash Limited (ASX: MTS) | $4.25 | 2.66% |
| Latitude Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: LFS) | $1.60 | 2.56% |
| National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR) | $2.25 | 2.27% |
| Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) | $11.59 | 2.2% |
| Growthpoint Properties Australia Ltd (ASX: GOZ) | $3.61 | 1.98% |
| APA Group (ASX: APA) | $12.01 | 1.95% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $33.11 | 1.94% |
| Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) | $3.80 | 1.88% |
Data as at 4.30pm AEST.
Our top 10 ASX shares today countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to ensure you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the market has closed during weekdays to see which stocks make the countdown.
