The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) snatched a tentative win from the jaws of defeat this Tuesday.

After starting the session deep in red territory, investors regained a sense of optimism over the trading day, with the ASX 200 finishing with a gain of 0.079%. That leaves the index at 8,704.6 points.

This nervous Tuesday session for Australian investors comes after a mixed start to the American trading week on Wall Street last night.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn't quite stick the landing, falling 0.14%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did stick said landing though, rising 0.33%.

But let's return to the local markets now and take stock of how the various ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.

Winners and losers

There were plenty of both winners and losers this Tuesday.

Starting with the latter, it was real estate investment trusts (REITs) that copped the worst of it today. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) ended up taking a 0.47% tumble.

Gold stocks also had a relatively rough session, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) diving 0.28%.

Consumer staples shares were no safe haven either. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up dipping 0.21%.

Financial stocks were also looked over, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.17% slide.

Our final losers today were mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipped 0.05% lower by the closing bell.

Turning to the winners now, it was energy stocks that stood out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) bouncing 0.57% higher.

Industrial shares had a decent day as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) lifted by 0.33% this session.

Then we had healthcare stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) also rising 0.33%.

Tech stocks found some buyers, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.2% bump.

We could say the same for utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) enjoyed a 0.15% improvement this Tuesday.

Next up, we had consumer discretionary shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) adding 0.1% to its total.

Finally, communications stocks did half as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was bid up 0.05% higher by the end of trading.