It's been another strong day for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Friday, in what's fast turning into a (touch wood) epic Santa rally.
By the end of the week's trading today, the ASX 200 ended up adding a healthy 0.88%, leaving the index at 7,442.7 points. This rise now puts the ASX up more than 3.4% over just the past five trading days.
This happy start to the pre-Christmas weekend follows a bullish night up on the American markets last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had another positive day, finishing 0.43% higher.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) also had a decent showing, closing up 0.19%.
But time now to return to the ASX with a look at how the different ASX sectors ended the week.
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Winners and losers
Despite the strength of the markets, we still had a handful of sectors that missed out.
Those were led by real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) had a weak session, sliding by 0.58% by the closing bell.
Utilities were also on the nose. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) had a day to forget, slipping 0.28%.
Tech stocks were another sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) couldn't hold on and retreated by 0.08% by day's end.
But that's it for the red sectors. Turning to the green ones, and it was mining stocks leading the charge today. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) knocked up a corker, surging by 1.94%.
ASX energy shares were just behind the miners, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s rise of 1.86%.
Continuing the commodity theme, gold stocks came next. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) gained a decent 0.85% by the close.
Following that, we had the consumer discretionary sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) clocked a rise of 0.79%.
Financial shares were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had a happy day, banking an increase of 0.68%.
As did industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) swelled by 0.64% by day's end.
Healthcare shares were another bright spot in the markets. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) was pulled up by 0.30%.
Consumer staples stocks followed suit, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) lifting 0.25%.
Finally, communications shares were also making investors happy. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was pushed up by 0.23%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
It was lithium stock Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) that topped out the markets this Friday.
Core Lithium surged by a whopping 15.09% to 30.5 cents a share during today's session. No news was out form the company today, but lithium stocks continued to surge across the board following increasing lithium prices.
Here's how the rest of this Friday's winners rounded out their week:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) | $0.305 | 15.09% |
| Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) | $4.58 | 14.79% |
| Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) | $1.755 | 9.35% |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $6.07 | 9.17% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.065 | 8.33% |
| Link Administration Holdings Ltd (ASX: LNK) | $1.70 | 7.94% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $8.88 | 6.09% |
| Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC) | $4.44 | 5.71% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.45 | 5.45% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $6.65 | 4.40% |
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.
