This Wednesday heralded a return to form for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and ASX shares. After two days of hefty falls, it was back to the races today.
By the closing bell, the ASX 200 had added a rosy 0.45%, leaving the index at 7,615.8 points.
This ASX bounceback comes after an equally enthusiastic turnaround up on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a good mood, rising by 0.37%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't quite as sunny, but still inched 0.073% higher.
But let's dig a little deeper now into the pleasing day the markets enjoyed today with a look at the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
It was a fairly positive day for ASX shares across the board this Wednesday. But not all sectors enjoyed the rising tide.
The most unfortunate of those were ASX energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) reversed yesterday's gains with a decline of 0.95%.
Also on the nose were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) ended up losing 0.72% of its value today.
Our next loser was the communications sector, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s loss of 0.35%.
Rounding out the red sectors were consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up slipping by 0.03%.
But that was it for the retreaters. Let's now turn to the advancers.
No sector advanced more than utilties shares today. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) had a ball, rocketing 1.74%.
Mining stocks also had a great time, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) shooting up 1.06%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also in demand, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) gaining 0.99%.
As were healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) soared 0.73% by the end of trading.
Industrial stocks didn't miss out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) surging 0.68%.
The same could be said of tech shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s rise of 0.63%.
Gold shares got an invitation to the party too. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) vaulted 0.61% higher.
Our final winner was the financial space. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had bounced by a pleasing 0.32% by the closing bell.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top stock came in as miner Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN).
Chalice shares had a glorious day, bolting 8.52% higher to 95.5 cents each. There was no price-sensitive news from the company today, but we did get a look at a new corporate presentation from the company this morning.
Here's a look at the rest of this hump day's winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Chalice Mining Ltd (ASX: CHN) | $0.955 | 8.52% |
| Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) | $1.115 | 5.69% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $3.57 | 5.62% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.95 | 5.56% |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $8.29 | 5.54% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $7.23 | 5.09% |
| Virgin Money UK plc (ASX: VUK) | $3.08 | 4.41% |
| BWP Trust (ASX: BWP) | $3.49 | 4.18% |
| Lifestyle Communities Ltd (ASX: LIC) | $18.22 | 4.17% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $7.05 | 3.98% |
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.
