Our big players in the iron ore game kept the materials sector down as Fortescue Metals slumped 2.16 per cent. Rio Tinto lost 1.03 per cent and BHP lost 0.60 per cent. Not even our gold stocks could offset the losses today as Evolution Mining shaved off 3.12 per cent. Newcrest lost 0.94 per cent and Saracen Mineral Holdings lost 0.36 per cent. Northern Star Resources did its best to balance things out but could only hold on to a 0.07 per cent win by market close. Likewise, our big banks anchored the financials sector. Commonwealth Bank led the losses today, declining by 1.70 per cent. Westpac lost 0.98 per cent, ANZ 0.77 per cent, and NAB 0.51 per cent. Our eastern neighbours looked in for a similar fate when the ASX closed as the Asia Dow sat 0.42 per cent red. Japan's Nikkei 225 was down by 0.21 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng by 0.35 per cent.