The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed to almost snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this Thursday in a remarkably shaky performance.
The ASX 200 started out strong this morning, rising as high as 7,383 points (up around 0.8%). But over the session, investors lost their optimism, possibly over the new (and very happy) unemployment numbers. By the end of trading, the ASX 200 had closed at 7,325 points, up an anaemic 0.018%.
This comes after a similarly weak session of trading on Wall Street last night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) gave a decent performance, rising by 0.31% last night. But the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was more cautious, only managing to eke out a rise of 0.03%.
But it's now time to turn back to the ASX for a deeper dive into how the different ASX sectors fared.
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Winners and losers
This Thursday's trading produced a veritable mixed bag when it came to the different corners of the ASX.
The sector investors were decisively flooding out of was ASX gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) led the losers by a mile today, recording a nasty drop of 1.62%.
It wasn't nearly as dire for the rest of the markets, though. ASX healthcare shares were also looked over, but the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) was down a far milder 0.49%.
Another two sore spots were ASX energy shares and real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slipped by 0.14%, while the S&P/SX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) retreated by 0.48%.
The consumer staples and discretionary shares spaces were also out of favour. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) went backwards by 0.23%, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) fell by 0.11%.
Mining shares also choked at the end of the session, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipping by 0.05%.
But let's turn to the winners, and it sure was a happy day for some.
Leading the charge higher this Thursday were ASX tech shares and financials shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) powered ahead with its 0.35% rise – a gain almost mirrored by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.40%.
The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) also managed a rise of 0.23%,
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The crown winner of today's market was ASX mining share Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN). Mineral Resources shares had a fantastic day, rising by 5.16% to $7.78 each. This came after the company announced that it had renegotiated a contract with US lithium producer Albermarle in its favour.
Here are the other winning shares from today's session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN) | $75.78 | 5.16% |
| Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) | $21.65 | 4.04% |
| Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) | $32.21 | 3.44% |
| Lendlease Group (ASX: LLC) | $8.17 | 2.90% |
| Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB) | $7.54 | 2.72% |
| Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) | $23.11 | 2.53% |
| QBE Insurance Group Ltd (ASX: QBE) | $15.60 | 2.36% |
| Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) | $9.15 | 2.23% |
| Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) | $6.58 | 1.86% |
| EVT Ltd (ASX: EVT) | $11.88 | 1.8% |
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.
