The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had a wild start to this week's trading but overcame plenty of pessimism throughout the trading day to finish up in the green, even if ever so slightly.
After last Friday's shocker, the ASX 200 spent much of the day in red territory, but pulled out a breakout just before the closing bell, finishing up 0.072% at 7,675.8 points.
This shaky session comes after a rough end to the American trading week last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) finished up its week on a negative note, recording a lump of 0.49%.
It was even worse for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which bombed 0.96%.
But let's get back to Australian shares with a look at what the different ASX sectors were up to this Monday.
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Winners and losers
Starting off with the losers, the worst sector on the markets today was the real estate investment trust (REIT) space. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) put on a horror show today, cratering by a nasty 1.98%.
Energy shares were the next-worst sector to be in. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) retreated by 0.34% by the close of trading.
Gold stocks were another sore point, as you can see from the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s loss of 0.33%.
Healthcare shares were on the nose as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) down 0.16%.
Communication stocks fared just as poorly, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) recording a 0.15% downward move.
Or final losers were consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) slid 0.09% this Monday.
Turning now to the happier sectors, these were led by financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) had a leasing run today, vaulting up 0.56%.
Mining shares had a decent showing too, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.25% bump.
Industrial stocks followed fairly close behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) rising 0.22%.
Utilities stocks also had a pleasant day, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.15% gain.
Tech shares were another winner from today's trading. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) inched 0.08% higher by the end of the day.
Finally, we had consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) barely budged, crawling 0.04% higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The best stock in the index to have owned this Monday was gaming company Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH). Tabcorp shares banked a solid 4.83% gain up to 76 cents a share.
There was no fresh news out of the company, but perhaps this rise was a rebound from the shellacking the company copped last week.
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.76 | 4.83% |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $3.14 | 4.67% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $7.12 | 3.79% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $12.50 | 3.48% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $12.58 | 3.45% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $7.64 | 3.38% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $1.245 | 3.32% |
| A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) | $5.96 | 3.29% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $1.29 | 3.20% |
| Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL) | $2.40 | 3.00% |
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.
