Finally, another positive day day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO). After falling every single trading day last week, as well as every day this week except for Monday, the ASX 200 has happily finished this Friday's session in the green.
The index ended up rising by a solid 0.34% today, closing out the week at 7,048.6 points.
This optimistic end to the week's trading follows a positive session up on Wall Street on the US markets overnight (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a decent showing, rising by 0.35%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, surging 0.83%.
But let's get back to the local markets and see how they finished up this Friday with a breakdown of all the various ASX sectors' performance.
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Winners and losers
It was a rare day in recent history where there were more winners among the different ASX sectors than losers this Friday.
But we still had a few losers. And these were led by the energy sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was on the nose today, recording a loss of 0.63%.
Then we had real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory today, with its 0.58% retreat.
Utilities shares were another poor performer, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.4% drop.
Healthcare shares were also a sore spot on the markets. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slipped by 0.37%.
But mercifully, that's it for the losers.
Leading the ASX's winners today were ASX mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) impressed investors with its 1.22% rise.
Gold shares staged a bit of a recovery, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) partially making up for its horrid day yesterday with a 1.1% rise.
ASX consumer discretionary shares didn't miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) ended up banking a 0.47% gain.
That was a bit more than what the financials space delivered. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) rose by 0.33%.
Meanwhile, the communications space and the consumer staples sector both eked out mild rises. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) ended up lifting 0.23%, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rose 0.24%.
Wrapping up, ASX tech stocks were also a bright spot. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) ended up with a 0.23% lift.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
We had some impressive moves all around on the top ten shares list today.
But none were more impressive than those made by Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) shares. Core Lithium reported its 2023 financial year results this morning, and it's fair to say investors were impressed.
The Core Lithium share price finished up a whopping 19.12% at 40.5 cents per share after the company turned profitable for the first time.
Here's a look at the other ASX shares making waves this Friday:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) | $0.405 | 19.12% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.093 | 6.90% |
| Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) | $2.32 | 4.98% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $0.77 | 4.76% |
| Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW) | $24.97 | 3.74% |
| Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX: SLR) | $0.845 | 3.68% |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $3.39 | 3.67% |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $6.30 | 3.62% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $12.66 | 3.18% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $11.77 | 2.97% |
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.
