It was a depressing start to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Monday.
Following on from Friday's losses, ASX 200 investors stepped on the gas when it came to selling today. By the end of trading, the index had closed back under 7,300 points at 7,277, a nasty loss of 0.86%.
This horrid start to the week comes after the US markets closed out their week on a slightly more positive note last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) rose by a solid 0.3% last Friday. However, the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't so lucky and ended the American trading week with a 0.68% loss.
But let's now see how the share market tossed and turned today with a look at the different ASX sectors.
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Winners and losers
It will surprise no one to see that most ASX sectors were decidedly in the red this Monday.
The worst place to have your money invested today was in the ASX mining sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) had a clanger, falling by a significant 1.74%, thanks largely to concerns over the slowing Chinese economy.
Miners were by far the worst performer today, but financial shares certainly weren't helping to lift anyone's mood. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up losing a chunky 0.8% this session.
That was slightly exceeded by ASX healthcare shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) retreating by 0.88%.
Industrials shares and real estate investment trusts (REITs) weren't giving any respite. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) dropped by 0.84% and 1.12% respectively.
Consumer staples and discretionary shares weren't riding to the rescue either. The S&P/ASX Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) both lost 0.51%
But enough with the red ink. Let's now review the three sectors that eked out a rise during today's tough trading conditions.
Leading the pack was the communications sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Communications Index (ASX: XTJ) ended up rising by a solid 0.81% by market close.
Energy stocks weren't too far behind, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) rising by a pleasing 0.47%.
ASX tech stocks were our final arena that saw investors come out with a win. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) edged higher by 0.13%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Despite the market's malaise today, we still had ten ASX shares that recorded some hefty gains. These were led by ASX lithium stock Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE).
Lake Resources shares rocketed a pleasing 7.69% to 21 cents each, despite no news or announcements out of the stock. However, we have seen a few surprising (and frankly, strange) moves with this company of late.
Here are the other top-performing stocks from today's trading:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) | $0.21 | 7.69% |
| Carsles.com Ltd (ASX: CAR) | $26.33 | 6.99% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $14.91 | 3.97% |
| Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) | $0.09 | 3.37% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $8.02 | 2.95% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $48.51 | 2.75% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $10.60 | 2.51% |
| United Malt Group Ltd (ASX: UMG) | $4.91 | 2.51% |
| Boral Limited (ASX: BLD) | $5.08 | 2.42% |
| News Corporation (ASX: NWS) | $33.39 | 2.39% |
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.
