It was back to the races for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX shares this Wednesday. After yesterday's falls, the ASX 200 bounced back up significantly this session.
By the close of trading, the index had soared a pleasing 1.65% all the way up to 7,178.4 points.
This return to form for the Australian share market comes after a more mixed night up on Wall Street for the American Tuesday trading.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had another disappointing time, dropping by 0.22%.
However, the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way, rising by a robust 0.31%.
Back to the ASX now. Let's check out what was going on today with the different ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
It was a stunning day for ASX shares, with only one sector recording a loss.
The unlucky space was gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) continued to lose steam, tanking by a hefty 1.55%.
But every other sector pulled off a rise.
Chief amongst those risers was the real estate investment trusts (REITs) sector. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) rebounded spectacularly, surging by 3.12%.
Communications shares were our next-best sector, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) putting on 2.13%.
Following communications, we had both consumer staples stocks and consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) charged 2.09% higher, while the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) swelled by 2.02%.
Healthcare shares were next up. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) managed to ink a rise of 1.87%.
Right behind that were ASX financials shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) banked a gain of 1.68% by the end of the day.
Industrials shares were the next cab off the rank, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ticking up 1.53%.
Tech stocks also had a day to remember. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) lifted 1.44%.
Mining shares got an invite to the party too, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s rise of 1.21%.
As did ASX energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) managed an increase of 0.76%.
Finally, utilities shares were also making investors happy, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) crawling 0.55% higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top stock (out of many worthy contenders, as you'll see below) was lithium producer Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO). Core shares rocketed a whopping 17.39% to 27 cents each, despite no major news from the company whatsoever.
As my Fool colleague James posited this afternoon, we could be seeing a bargain hunt going on though, or perhaps a short squeeze.
Here's a look at the rest of the market leaders this Wednesday:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) | $0.27 | 17.39% |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $5.70 | 14.92% |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.52 | 13.01% |
| Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) | $3.95 | 11.27% |
| Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) | $1.645 | 10.77% |
| EVT Ltd (ASX: EVT) | $11.23 | 8.50% |
| Lifestyle Communities Ltd (ASX: LIC) | $17.25 | 7.21% |
| Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK) | $1.48 | 6.86% |
| Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) | $0.78 | 6.85% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.056 | 5.66% |
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.
