The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) finally recorded a win for investors today after two days of consecutive falls over Friday and Monday.
As of close of trading this Tuesday, the ASX 200 had finished up at 7,305 points, an encouraging rise of 0.38%.
Today's tentative recovery comes after a positive night of trading up on Wall Stree last night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) recorded a gain of 0.07% last night. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared far better, giving investors a chunky 1.05% rise.
But back to the local markets now, and let's see where today's positive performance came from with a look at the different ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
We saw most, but not all, ASX sectors record some pleasing results during this Tuesday's session.
Starting with the losers though, and it was ASX gold shares that were in the firing line. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a shocker, falling by a nasty 1.76%.
Other mining shares weren't faring much better, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s drop of 0.27%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were the second-worst place to be today. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) lost a not-so-nice 0.55% of its value.
The communications sector was the final area dominated by sellers. The S&P/ASX 200 Communications Index (ASX: XTJ) banked a 0.22% fall by the end of the trading day.
But that's it for the losers.
Leading today's winners was the healthcare sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX: XHJ) had a blast today, shooting up by 3.16%. That was undoubtedly helped by healthcare giant CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)'s well-received earnings results.
ASX tech stocks were another bright spot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) shooting up 1.76%.
We saw more muted gains from the industrials and consumer staples spaces. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) rose 0.39%, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) bounced 0.4%.
Just behind that were ASX financials shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) came away with a 0.31% rise today.
Energy stocks were on the financials' tail, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) gaining a happy 0.16%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today saw some rather outsized rises on the ASX 200 index. Once again, these were headed by ASX lithium stock Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE).
Lake Resources shares shot up by another 16.67% to 24.5 cents each this Tuesday. This follows a pleasing update regarding the company's Kachi Project.
Here are the other top-performing stocks from today's trading:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) | $0.245 | 16.67% |
| GUD Holdings Ltd (ASX: GUD) | $11.74 | 14.87% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $9.01 | 12.34% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $15.85 | 6.3% |
| Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) | $246.47 | 5.69% |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.665 | 4.39% |
| Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) | $72.51 | 4.15% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $11.01 | 3.87% |
| CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) | $272.80 | 3.73% |
| Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN) | $9.21 | 3.25% |
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.
