The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) went back to its winning form this Thursday, recording another solid rise for investors. Until yesterday, the ASX 200 was having a top week, rising over both Monday and Tuesday's sessions.
Yesterday's 0.74% loss put an end to that streak, but the ASX 200 has somewhat made up for it today. By close of trading, the index had recorded a rosy rise of 0.46% rise, putting the index at 7,186.5 points.
Today's optimism on the ASX comes after a bit of a mixed bag on Wall Street in US trading last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a clunker, dropping by 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared far better though, rising by a solid 0.29%.
But let's get back to how ASX shares performed today by looking at how all the various ASX sectors stacked up.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
It was a decidedly happy day (almost) all around on the ASX boards this Thursday, with only three sectors recording a backward step.
Healthcare stocks were not a happy bunch today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) leading the losers with its loss of 0.57%.
Consumer staples shares were another disappointment on the market. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up going backwards by 0.03%.
Consumer discretionary stocks also had a red day, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s loss of 0.006%. But that's it for the losers.
Turning to the winners now, and the best place to be today was in gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a cracking day, soaring 1.2%.
ASX mining shares were almost as lucrative, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) surging by 0.96%.
Coming in behind materials was the financials sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had a strong session with a lift of 0.69%.
Tech shares had a strong day, too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) gaining 0.55%.
That was closely followed by real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) rising 0.44%.
Energy stocks were also in demand, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) levelling up by 0.43%.
Utilities had a decent showing as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) vaulting 0.31% higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
We had some consistently positive moves with our top ten for this Thursday.
At the top of the pole was ASX artificial intelligence (AI) share BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN). Brainchip shares had a fantastic day, rising 5.45% to 29 cents each.
That was despite no news out of the company. But perhaps investors were having a last hurrah before Brainchip is booted out of the ASX 200 on Monday.
Here are the rest of today's top performers:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) | $0.29 | 5.45% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.105 | 5.00% |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $6.27 | 4.33% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $1.745 | 4.18% |
| Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) | $20.41 | 4.13% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $0.93 | 3.91% |
| Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) | $2.48 | 3.77% |
| Cromwell Property Group (ASX: CMW) | $0.44 | 3.53% |
| Deterra Royalties Ltd (ASX: DRR) | $4.77 | 3.47% |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $6.37 | 3.41% |
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.
