It was a bumpy, but overall positive, day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Tuesday. After a strong start to the session, the ASX 200 lost ground for most of the afternoon. But the index still closed in the green at 7,311.1 points, a rather unimpressive gain of 0.03% for the day.
The shallow performance comes despite a strong trading session on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was off to the races, banking a solid gain of 1.16%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, but still recorded a rise of 0.61%.
But back to the ASX now, and let’s take stock of the various ASX sectors today and how they fared.
Winners and losers
In terms of market moves, it was a fairly lacklustre trading day today, with only one sector making a big move.
That was none other than ASX gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) led today’s losses with its nasty drop of 1.14%. But that was as bad as it got.
The next-worst place to be on the markets today was in consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) lost another 0.3% over the course of this Tuesday’s trading.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also a sore spot, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) slipping by 0.19%.
As were mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) retreated by a slight 0.05%.
The two other losers were industrials shares and consumer discretionary stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) shed 0.1%, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) lost 0.3%.
Let’s now turn to the winners from today’s trading. And leading the charge was the healthcare sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) had a decent, if not spectacular, day, rising by 0.59%.
ASX tech stocks had a similar showing, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) inching up 0.22%.
Energy sources were also a good place to be, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)’s 0.16% gain.
Meanwhile, ASX financials shares were essentially flat, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) eking out a 0.01% lift.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Leading the ASX 200 pack today was building and construction supply company James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX). James Hardie shares finished the day a pleasing 14.38% higher at $46.62 a share.
This big move came after the company delighted investors with its latest earnings report, released this morning.
Here are the other winning shares from today’s session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $46.62 | 14.38% |
| Reece Ltd (ASX: REH) | $20.10 | 3.93% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $7.81 | 3.31% |
| Abacus Storage King (ASX: ASK) | $1.265 | 3.27% |
| Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC) | $4.34 | 2.84% |
| REA Group Ltd (ASX: REA) | $157.69 | 2.8% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $5.32 | 2.7% |
| CSR Limited (ASX: CSR) | $5.73 | 2.5% |
| Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) | $5.28 | 2.13% |
| Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG) | $4 | 2.04% |
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.
