It was yet another rough day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday.
After dropping over both Monday and Tuesday's sessions, the ASX 200 made it three for three this hump day, with the index sliding 0.75% down to 8,193.4 points.
This woeful Wednesday for ASX shares follows a tough session up on Wall Street this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was punished, dropping 0.86%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared a bit better though, only slipping 0.09% lower.
But time to get back to the local markets, so let's see what was going on amongst different ASX sectors today.
Winners and losers
There were almost all frowns on the ASX boards during this session, with only one sector gaining.
But starting with the red sectors, financial shares were today's biggest losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was smashed today, tanking by 1.07%.
Industrial stocks were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) crashing 1.06%.
Then we had tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) cratered by 0.97%.
Consumer staples stocks weren't up to the challenge either, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.8% dive.
Nor were mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) plunged down 0.73% this Wednesday.
Healthcare stocks didn't exactly live up to their name, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slumping 0.67%.
Gold shares had a rough one too. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) lost 0.49% of its value.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) also received a shellacking, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.47% dip.
Communications stocks were right behind REITs. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) sank 0.46% today.
Consumer discretionary shares were a marked improvement though, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sliding 0.09% lower.
ASX energy stocks round out the losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slipped by 0.02%.
Our sole winners this Wednesday were utilities stocks, evidenced by the rise of the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) by 0.59%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's index race winner was uranium stock Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN). Paladin shares had a great day, lifting by a healthy 8.58% to $7.47 each.
There wasn't any news from the company that might explain this, but perhaps Paladin was just recovering from yesterday's horrid crash.
Here's how the rest of today's winners landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $7.47 | 8.58% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $53.35 | 6.19% |
| Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) | $13.15 | 4.12% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $8.36 | 3.21% |
| Guzman y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG) | $37.03 | 3.00% |
| Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) | $129.75 | 2.65% |
| Aristocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL) | $66.62 | 2.60% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $5.54 | 2.59% |
| New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) | $4.73 | 2.38% |
| Brickworks Ltd (ASX: BKW) | $26.91 | 2.36% |
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.