The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) welcomed November in style today, giving investors a very pleasing day of green ink indeed. By the close of the session, the ASX 200 vaulted a happy 0.85% higher, taking the index to 6,838.3 points.
This Wednesday's pleasing performance follows a positive night of trading over on Wall Street last night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) recovered from an early loss to finish 0.38% higher. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, vaulting up 0.48%.
But let's get back to the local markets now, and check on what was moving and shaking with the various ASX sectors of the market.
Winners and losers
It was mostly all smiles on the ASX today, with only a few sectors going backwards.
First amongst those were ASX gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had another poor showing this Wednesday, tanking by 0.82%.
Utilities shares were next. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) was also in the red, losing 0.2% of its value.
Consumer staples stocks also had a bad hair day. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up shedding 0.2% as well.
But that was it for the losers.
Turning now to the winners, the best place to be this session was in real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) no doubt pleased its investors mightily, with a gain of 1.79%.
Healthcare stocks also lived up to their name today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) rising 1.12%.
Then we had ASX energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had an afternoon surge and closed 1.13% higher.
Next up was the consumer discretionary sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) bounced 1.09%.
ASX mining stocks were just behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) shot up 1.05% by the close of trading.
Coming in under miners were tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rose 0.47%.
Following that we had financials stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) gained another 0.42%.
Finally, communications shares were another bright spot, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.35% vault higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out ahead of the pack today was ASX gold miner Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN).
Chalice shares defied the gold sector's slump today and pushed 8.94% higher. That was despite a lack of any news out of the company today.
Here's a glance at the rest of this Wednesday's top ten stocks:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) | $1.95 | 8.94% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $1.02 | 7.94% |
| Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) | $78.40 | 5.18% |
| Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) | $3.46 | 4.53% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.81 | 4.52% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $22.70 | 4.18% |
| Block Inc (ASX: SQ2) | $63.18 | 4.07% |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $7.41 | 4.07% |
| Growthpoint Properties Australia Ltd (ASX: GOZ) | $2.05 | 4.06% |
| Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC) | $0.775 | 4.03% |
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.
