It was a wild and woolly start to the short trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX shares this Tuesday.
After an initial plunge this morning, the ASX 200 managed to recover and stay in green territory for much of the session. However, a last-minute selling spree resulted in the index recording a 0.12% loss by the time the closing bell rang, leaving it at 8,399.1 points.
This bumpy Tuesday for the Australian market follows a mixed session over on Wall Street to kick off the American trading week this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form and rose 0.65%.
However, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) had a meltdown, tanking by a horrid 3.07%.
Let's return to the local markets now and examine how the different ASX sectors handled today's bumpy trading conditions.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
We had plenty of winners and losers this Tuesday.
Leading the fallers were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) had a shocking day, crashing 3.38% lower.
Utilities stocks weren't much better, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) tanking 2.47%.
Energy shares had a day to forget too. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunged down 2.1%.
Gold stocks were no safe haven either, illustrated by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 1.63% loss.
Tech shares did a lot better than that though. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) fell, but 'only' by 0.61%.
Industrial stocks found themselves on the wrong side of the bed, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) retreating by 0.42%.
Mining shares were in a similar ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) was walked back by 0.3%.
That's it for the losers though.
Turning to the winners now, it was consumer discretionary stocks that stole the show. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) surged a confident 1.63% higher today.
Communications shares had a great day too, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.94% lift.
Healthcare stocks fared decently as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) jumped by 0.49%.
Consumer staples shares are next up, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) adding 0.34% this Tuesday.
Finally, financial stocks eked out a rise, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.32% improvement.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Pharmacy share Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) was today's big winner. Sigma stock added a rosy 12.22% to its total, leaving the company at $3.03 a share.
This gain came after the company released an impressive half-year update this morning, which included details about the performance of Chemist Warehouse.
Investors were clearly delighted.
Here are today's other big winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) | $3.03 | 12.22% |
| Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) | $17.57 | 4.27% |
| Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL) | $71.85 | 4.21% |
| Dexus (ASX: DXS) | $7.01 | 3.39% |
| Monadelphous Group Ltd (ASX: MND) | $15.36 | 3.23% |
| Downer EDI Ltd (ASX: DOW) | $5.65 | 2.91% |
| Ansell Ltd (ASX: ANN) | $35.03 | 2.85% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $28.30 | 2.80% |
| BlueScope Steel Ltd (ASX: BSL) | $20.58 | 2.34% |
| News Corporation (ASX: NWS) | $50.91 | 2.23% |
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
