It was back to old, bad habits for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) during Tuesday's trading session. After the ASX 200 snapped its five-day losing streak yesterday with a tentative gain, investors were back to pushing the sell button today. By close of trading, the index had retreated by an unwelcome 0.54%, leaving it at 7,038.2 points.
This morale-sapping Tuesday on the ASX comes after a far sunnier start to the trading week on the American markets overnight (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a pretty great time of it last night, rising by a solid 0.13%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, vaulting 0.45% higher.
Time now to get back to the ASX, and check out how each of the ASX sectors performed on the ASX boards this Tuesday.
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Winners and losers
With the share market in an obviously bad mood today, it won't come as a shock to hear that there were more losers today than winners.
First amongst those losers was the tech sector. ASX tech shares had a shocker, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s nasty 1.93% drop.
Gold stocks weren't giving anyone a safe haven today either. All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) clanged this session with a 1.91% loss.
Mining shares weren't doing much better. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) ended up losing 1.66%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were another source of frustration for ASX investors, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) retreating 1.31%.
ASX energy stocks didn't struggle quite as much as the sectors above, but the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) still went backwards by a not-so-nice 0.69%.
That was followed by communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slumped by 0.59%.
It was a rough day for both consumer discretionary shares and consumer staples stocks as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) ended up wilting by 0.54%, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) did slightly better with its loss of 0.12%.
But that's it for the red sectors this Tuesday. Turning to the few winners, and it was (rather aptly) healthcare shares that were the best medicine on the ASX today. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) had a cracker, rising by a solid 1.08%.
ASX financials stocks were another bright spot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lifting by 0.14%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
We saw a few big rises in our top ten for this Tuesday. Chief amongst those was ASX healthcare share Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)
Pro Medicus shares rocketed a pleasing 12.39% to $80.01 each and touched a new 52-week high in the process. This was all thanks to some big news out of the company this morning, with Pro Medius winning a major contract.
Here's a breakdown of the rest of today's best ASX stocks:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) | $80.01 | 12.39% |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.335 | 5.95% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $1.085 | 3.83% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $21.94 | 2.33% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $1.88 | 2.17% |
| Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF) | $5.69 | 1.79% |
| Nufarm Ltd (ASX: NUF) | $4.77 | 1.49% |
| QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) | $15.93 | 1.4% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $2.51 | 1.21% |
| Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) | $5.30 | 1.15% |
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.
