It was a return to form for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday. After copping a bit of a slapdown yesterday, investors were back to buying today.
By the end of trading, the ASX 200 had risen by a decent 0.23%, leaving the index at 7,587 points.
Today's encouraging recovery came after a more mixed night over in the United States last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, lifting 0.23% higher.
But we can't say the same for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC), which sank by 0.33%.
Rather than trying to figure that out though, let's check out what was going on during today's trading for the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
Despite the rise of the broader markets, we still had some losers this Thursday.
The most prominent of those were consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had an awful day, tanking 2.46%.
The next worst-performing sector was communications shares. But the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) didn't cop it nearly as badly as consumer staples, dropping 0.84%.
Utilities stocks were another sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up losing 0.71% of its value.
Energy shares were also on the nose with investors, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s loss of 0.53%.
Consumer discretionary shares weren't on form either. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) retreated by 0.3%.
But that's it for the red sectors.
Leading the green ones this Thursday were gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was singled out, lifting by a solid 1.03%.
Tech shares also had a day to remember. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) surged by a decisive 0.96%.
Financial stocks had a pleasant day as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) bouncing 0.72% higher.
Industrial shares joined the party. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) managed a 0.46% lift.
Mining stocks also had a good time, illustrated by the rise of 0.41% in the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ).
ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) banked a gain of 0.3%.
Our final winners were healthcare shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) enjoying a 0.2% increase.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out on top today was property stock PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA).
PEXA shares rose by a confident 10.95% up to $13.58 each after the company announced that it had signed a major agreement with a British bank.
Here's a look at how the other winners from today's trading pulled up:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| PEXA Group Ltd (ASX: PXA) | $13.58 | 10.95% |
| Qube Holdings Ltd (ASX: QUB) | $3.50 | 6.71% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.34 | 5.10% |
| Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) | $4.36 | 5.06% |
| Amcor plc (ASX: AMC) | $15.05 | 4.15% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $1.185 | 3.95% |
| Red 5 Ltd (ASX: RED) | $0.43 | 3.61% |
| Silver Lake Resources Ltd (ASX: SLR) | $1.425 | 3.26% |
| New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) | $4.68 | 3.08% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $91.21 | 2.70% |
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.
