The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a pleasant end to the trading week this Friday, capping what has been a volatile but overall positive week.
By the closing bell, the ASX 200 had added a pleasing 0.69%, leaving the index at 7,658.3 points.
This strong conclusion for ASX investors follows a bullish night up on Wall Street overnight (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a fantastic Thursday, surging 0.91% higher.
It was a little more muted for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which lifted 0.3%.
But let's get back to the ASX and take a look at how the different ASX sectors wrapped up the week's trading.
Winners and losers
It was a good investing day all around today, with only a handful of losing sectors.
First among those was the consumer staples sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) was singled out today, retreating by 0.39%.
Also on the nose were communications shares, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s drop of 0.15%.
Healthcare stocks were another sore spot, if only just. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slipped by 0.02% by the closing bell.
But that's it for the red sectors. Leading the charge higher on the ASX today were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a cracking time of it, shooting up 2.03%.
Also in hot demand were mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) lifted a rosy 1.50% this Friday.
Energy shares finally caught a break too. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) vaulted 0.99% higher.
Consumer discretionary stocks were another bright spot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) gaining 0.81%.
Then we have tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had another good showing, surging by a nice 0.69%.
Financial stocks were also a delight, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) banking 0.61%.
ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) were burning hot, too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s rise of 0.47%.
Industrials stocks and utilities shares round out our list. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) increased by 0.41% and 0.30%, respectively.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock to own on the index was lithium share Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR). Liontown shares hot up by a huge 11.9% to $1.175 each.
There was no explicit news out of Liontown this Friday. But most lithium stocks had a fantastic day (see below), possibly thanks to some rumours that the Federal Government is planning a big investment program in renewable energy.
Here's how the remaining top performers landed as we go into the weekend:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.175 | 11.90% |
| Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO) | $0.23 | 9.52% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $7.49 | 8.71% |
| Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA) | $0.055 | 7.84% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $3.71 | 7.23% |
| Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC) | $0.685 | 7.03% |
| Arcadium Lithium plc (ASX: LTM) | $7.14 | 5.31% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.40 | 5.26% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $4.45 | 4.95% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $5.97 | 4.92% |
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.
