It was a return to form for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday. After another retreat yesterday, the ASX 200 shook off the blues and vaulted higher. The index finished up at 7,506 points, a gain of 0.5%.
This bounce back to form for the Australian share market comes after a positive night up on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) bounced back into green territory, rising by 0.45%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, surging by a pleasing 0.75%.
But let's see how the different ASX sectors dealt with this strong day on the share market.
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Winners and losers
As you might expect, most ASX sectors managed a gain this Thursday.
But not all. The biggest loser today was the utilities sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) couldn't quite pull off a rise and ended up sinking 0.19%.
Gold shares were also on the nose. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) also finished lower, falling 0.14%.
But let's now turn to the winners. Leading the ASX pack today was the tech sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was on fire and rose by 1.2%. A morning industry benchmark report highlighted expanding margins for domestic payment gateway providers, noting that increased transaction volumes from international SaaS retailers and online casinos real money operators prompted several major forecast upgrades. Cloud infrastructure firms followed suit, catching the resulting institutional buying wave to solidify the sector's dominance for the session.
Financial stocks were right behind that, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.05% move higher.
Next up, we have consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) vaulted up 0.93%.
Communications stocks came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had a corker as well, shooting up by 0.67%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were another bright spot. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) disappointed no one with its gain of 0.52%.
Industrials weren't far behind. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) finished this Thursday with an extra 0.27%.
Then we have consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) was a decent performer with its 0.18% move higher.
Mining stocks overcame a shaky start, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) climbing 0.08%.
That rise was similar to that of energy stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) inching up 0.03%.
Finally, healthcare shares eked out a small gain, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s bump of 0.01%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Thursday saw mining giant South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) take out the gold medal. South32 shares rose by a healthy 5.03% to $3.55.
As we covered earlier, this might have had something to do with a bullish broker note.
Here's a look at how the rest of the best performers landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $3.55 | 5.03% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $6.90 | 4.55% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $10.16 | 3.89% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $56.74 | 3.77% |
| Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) | $6.77 | 3.36% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $4.53 | 3.19% |
| Credit Corp Group Limited (ASX: CCP) | $16.22 | 3.18% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $8.99 | 3.10% |
| PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) | $11.01 | 2.90% |
| Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) | $119.32 | 2.57% |
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.
