The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) suffered a fall today, returning the index back to earth after yesterday's strong start to the trading week.

By the close of trading, the ASX 200 had endured a 0.41% decline, which pulled the index back down to 7,780.2 points.

This taxing Tuesday comes after a rough night up on Wall Street last night for the start of the American trading week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) opened the week with a whimper, dropping 0.41%.

It wasn't quite so bad for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which took a 0.27% hit.

But getting back to the local markets, let's see how today's trading went for the various ASX sectors.

There was plenty of pain all around on the stock market today, with only a few sectors managing to extract a raise from investors.

But first, the losers. Leading the droppers this Tuesday were tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had a horrible day, tanking by 1.55% by the closing bell.

Communications shares came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had a nasty day too, getting a 0.99% whack.

Miners weren't rising to anyone's rescue, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.73% crater.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were another sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) had a day to forget, collapsing 0.67%.

Industrial stocks were the next cab from the rank. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) suffered a 0.45% swing against it.

Healthcare shares didn't exactly live up to their name either this Tuesday, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s fall of 0.32%.

Consumer discretionary stocks fared a little better, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.23% drop.

Financial shares weren't in a kind mood either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) banking a loss of 0.22%.

Our final loser was the utilities space. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) got a 0.07% downgrade from investors today.

That's it for the losers though. Turning to the winners now, it was gold stocks that stole the show today. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a wonderful time, soaring by 0.82%.

Energy shares comforted investors too. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) shot up by 0.5%.

Our third and final winner was the consumer staples sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had a decent day, gaining 0.23%.

This Tuesday's winning stock was energy share Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR). Karoon shares careened 6.06% higher up to $2.10 each by the close of trading. There wasn't any news out of the company itself, but oil prices have been ticking up this week.

Here's how the rest of today's list looks:

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.