The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a fairly miserable session this Tuesday, taking a step back after yesterday's strong start to the trading week.
By the time the market closed up shop, the ASX 200 had retreated by 0.35%, leaving the index at 8,176.9 points.
This unhappy Tuesday session for ASX shares follows an even more bearish start to the American trading week last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a rough trot, sliding down 0.94%.
It was even worse for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which slumped 1.18%.
But let's return to the ASX and take a look at what the various ASX sectors were up to today.
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Winners and losers
Despite the market's drop, we still had some sectors that managed a rise today. But more on those in a moment.
Leading the selling this session were mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) took the brunt of the market's bad mood, crashing 1.74% lower.
ASX tech stocks were also out of favour, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) plunging 1.07%.
Energy shares weren't too far off that. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) cratered 0.95% today.
Communications stocks didn't escape unscathed either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.39% slump.
Consumer staples shares got off relatively lightly though. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) retreated by 0.15%.
Industrial stocks were overlooked as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) dipping 0.08%.
Our final losers were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) slipped 0.05% today.
Turning to the winners now, healthcare stocks led the pack. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) surged 0.75% this session.
Gold shares also proved to be a safe harbour, evidenced by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 0.73% rise.
Utilities stocks came down on the right side of the market as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) rose by 0.29%.
As did financial shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.14% lift.
Finally, real estate investment trusts (REITs) survived intact. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) inched 0.05% higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Gold miner West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) came in ahead of the pack today. West African shares vaulted a healthy 7.46% higher to finish at $1.44 each.
This gain came after the company revealed it had received some good news regarding its African mines.
Here's a look at the rest of today's best performers:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.44 | 7.46% |
| Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) | $16.77 | 3.71% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.32 | 3.23% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.32 | 2.72% |
| Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) | $140.20 | 2.00% |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd (ASX: FPH) | $32.00 | 1.94% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $5.84 | 1.74% |
| Chorus Ltd (ASX: CNU) | $7.98 | 1.53% |
| Premier Investments Ltd (ASX: PMV) | $31.01 | 1.51% |
| Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) | $1.69 | 1.50% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
