And just like that, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is back in form.
Yesterday, investors were rocked with a fairly awful day of trading for ASX shares. But today, we got the exact opposite. By the wrap-up of the day's trading, the ASX 200 had bounced by an encouraging 0.77%, leaving the index at 7,605.7 points.
This strong session on the Australian markets comes after an equally bullish night up on the US stock exchanges last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) bounced back with a rise of 0.4%.
It was even better for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which rocketed an encouraging 1.3%.
But let's return to the local markets now and see how the various ASX sectors ended up after this pleasing market performance.
Winners and losers
Despite the overall good mood of investors, there were still a few sectors that saw losses this Thursday.
The worst of these were energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had an awful session, tanking by 2.1%.
Mining stocks weren't in demand either. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) wasn't quite as shunned but still clanged down by 0.66%.
Communications shares missed out too. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slid 0.45% lower by the closing bell.
Gold stocks were our final losers today, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) retreating by 0.26%.
But that's it for the red sectors. Turning to the green ones now, tech shares were the hottest place to be this Thursday. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had a field day today, rocketing a massive 6.81%. Check out the top ten shares below for an explanation.
ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) were on fire as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 3.42% surge.
As were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) was in on the party, flying 2.77% higher.
Its consumer staples counterpart was next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) gaining 1.30%.
Industrials stocks were in form as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) bouncing 1.20%.
Another winner came in the form of financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) soared 0.97% higher today.
Utilities stocks were also a bright spot, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s lift of 0.69%.
Finally, healthcare shares had a good time today as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up banking a rise of 0.39%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
By a country mile, it was ASX tech stock Altium Ltd (ASX: ALU) that dominated today's gainers. Altium shares popped a whopping 28.76% to $66 each. This massive surge followed the revelation that Altium had accepted a takeover deal from the Japanese Renesas Electronics Corporation at $68.50 a share.
There was no news out from the company or the sector that can easily explain this, but most lithium stocks seemed to be in demand today.
Here's how the rest of today's substantial winners landed at the closing bell:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Altium Ltd (ASX: ALU) | $66.00 | 28.76% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.051 | 13.33% |
| Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) | $28.47 | 7.03% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $7.83 | 6.10% |
| Downer EDI Ltd (ASX: DOW) | $5.07 | 5.85% |
| Xero Limited (ASX: XRO) | $118.02 | 5.77% |
| Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) | $3.89 | 5.42% |
| Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) | $61.91 | 5.04% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $78.57 | 4.77% |
| Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG) | $3.54 | 4.73% |
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.
