It's been yet another day of falls for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday, making it the third of four days this week that have seen losses.
The ASX 200 checked after rising into positive territory this morning, finishing the trading day down 0.07% at 7,024.8 points.
Today's miserly performance comes after a mixed night up on the US markets last night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) disappointed investors, slipping by 0.2%. However, the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way, lifting by a decent 0.22%.
Let's now turn back to the ASX, though, and take a look at which of the different ASX sectors were pushing up and pulling down the broader markets today.
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Winners and losers
Once again, it was gold shares that were the largest detractors in today's markets. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had an awful, awful day, tanking by a horrid 3.07%.
That was by far as bad as it got, though. The next-worst performer ended up being ASX consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) lost a still-significant 1.18%.
Next up were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up losing 0.78% of its value.
Communications shares weren't much better, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slipping 0.70%.
Tech shares are the next cab from the rank. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was another sore spot, falling a not-so-nice 0.69%.
The ASX's consumer staples sector was also on the nose, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s drop of 0.68%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) weren't spared from the onslaught either. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) ended up dropping down 0.61%.
Neither were financials stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) closed lower by 0.25%.
Next up and finally for the losers were ASX healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) retreated 0.03% this Thursday.
Turning to the winners now, and sadly, we have a much shorter list.
Leading the winners were ASX energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a cracking day, exploding 2.96% higher.
Miners were also a bright corner of the share market. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) managed to vault up 0.29%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out on top of the ASX pole today was energy share Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC).
There wasn't any fresh news out of Whitehaven today. But, as we covered earlier, it seems that rocketing coal prices helped lift Whitehaven shares 6.06% higher to $7.35 each.
Here's a breakdown of the rest of today's best ASX stocks:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $7.35 | 6.06% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $24.10 | 4.83% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $2.65 | 4.74% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $1.995 | 4.18% |
| Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) | $7.95 | 3.79% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $11.18 | 3.52% |
| New Hope Corporation Limited (ASX: NHC) | $6.38 | 3.24% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.65 | 3.13% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $4.22 | 2.93% |
| Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) | $36.69 | 2.86% |
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.
