It was a bit of a disappointing false start for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and ASX shares this Monday.
After initially rising enthusiastically this morning, the ASX 200 seemed to get a bad case of cold feet over this afternoon and dipped into red territory. Fortunately, the index still managed to close in the green, but only just. The index ended up rising by 0.09%, finishing up at 7,410.4 points.
This lukewarm open for the week for the ASX 200 was in stark contrast to what happened on the US market last Friday night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a strong session, rising by 0.5%. But it was the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) that blew things out of the water with its stunning 1.9% spike.
But let's dive into the local markets and see where the biggest movers and shakers were on the ASX today with a look at the different ASX sectors.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Given today's shaky performance, it will come as no surprise to see a healthy mix of winners and losers here. But, as always, let's look at the losers first.
The worst place to have been invested this Monday was ASX consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up tanking by a nasty 0.75%.
That was about as bad as it got though. The next worst performers were utilities and tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) recorded a drop of 0.47%, while the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) fell 0.32%.
ASX gold shares didn't fare much better. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) ended up down by 0.24%.
But let's turn to the winners now.
Leading the charge today were healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) rose by a solid 0.63%.
But the other gainers had fairly uninspiring rises.
ASX mining shares are a perfect example, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) inching up by 0.1%.
Ditto with real estate investment trusts (REITs) and industrial shares, demonstrated by the S&P/SX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s and S&P/ASX 200 Industrial Index (ASX: XNJ)'s rises of 0.12% and 0.34% respectively.
ASX financials shares also had an uninspiring day, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) eking out a 0.02% rise.
ASX energy shares were also in the same ballpark, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) flat.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Ending its week on a high was our best-performing share of the day in alumina and aluminium producer Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC). Alumina shares recorded a decent (if unremarkable) rise of 2.88% to $1.43 a share.
That was despite no major developments out of the company today, apart from the news of a new board appointment.
Here are the other winning shares from today's session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) | $1.43 | 2.88% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $6.73 | 2.59% |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.62 | 2.53% |
| Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) | $24.66 | 2.49% |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $5.98 | 2.4% |
| NRW Holdings Ltd (ASX: NWH) | $2.75 | 2.23% |
| Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) | $9.33 | 2.19% |
| Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC) | $58.91 | 2.15% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $21.45 | 2.09% |
| Carsales.com Ltd (ASX: CAR) |
$24.86 | 1.89% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
