It's turning into a stellar week indeed for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this week, with the markets sealing another rise (albeit a small one) to make it three for three up days in a row.
The ASX 200 inched higher over Wednesday's trading (despite a brief dip into negative territory) and put on 0.057%, leaving the index at 7,519.2 points.
This happy Tuesday for ASX shares follows a more muted night over on the American markets early this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a Tuesday to forget, declining by 0.25%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) had a far better time of it though, and bounced an encouraging 0.43% higher.
But let's now return to the local markets and see how today's tentative gains affected the various ASX sectors' trading.
Winners and losers
We had a fairly even mix of winners and losers today.
Starting with the losers, it was the tech sector that took out the crown of thorns this session. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had a horrible day, tanking by a hefty 1.15%.
Next on the hitlist were healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) had a weak showing too, declining by 0.75%.
Consumer discretionary shares came in just behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sliding 0.74%.
Consumer staples stocks weren't doing much better. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up losing 0.68% of its value.
Then we had ASX financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was another sore spot, declining 0.43%.
Industrial stocks were also on the nose, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s fall of 0.21%.
Our final loser was the energy space, but this barely counts as the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) lost less than 0.01%.
Turning now to the winners, and today's gains were led by gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a huge day, leaping 2.71% higher.
Mining shares also had some time in the sun, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) surging 1.31%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) followed miners, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) vaulting 0.97% higher.
Utilities shares were also in demand, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s lift of 0.93%.
And our final winner was the communications sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had a mild win, gaining 0.04%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top-performing share on the stock market was lithium company Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA). Sayona shares spiked a pleasing 10% on the dot up to 4.4 cents each.
That was despite no fresh news out of the company recently. However, we did see a happy update from another lithium stock here, which could have played a role.
And here are this Wednesday's other winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.044 | 10.00% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $7.19 | 8.45% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.91 | 7.00% |
| Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) | $1.085 | 6.90% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) | $12.81 | 6.04% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $3.46 | 5.81% |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $1.855 | 4.51% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $6.05 | 4.49% |
| Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC) | $0.585 | 4.46% |
| Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX: GOR) | $1.715 | 3.63% |
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.
