It was a great start to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Monday, adding to the optimism ASX investors were feeling at the conclusion of last week's trading.
By the close of trade today, the ASX 200 had risen by a happy 0.7%, pushing the index up to 7,682.4 points.
This strong start to the week follows a bullish finish to last week's trading for American investors.
Friday night (our time) saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) climb by a confident 1.18%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) performed even better, shooting up 1.99%.
But time to return to this week and our local market, with a look at how the various ASX sectors handled their return to the markets.
Winners and losers
This Monday turned out to be an almost universally positive one, with only a few ASX sectors going backwards.
The worst of those were industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was left out in the cold today and sank by 0.18%.
Consumer staples shares were unlucky too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) recorded a drop of 0.12%.
Healthcare stocks were the other sector left adrift by investors, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s loss of 0.06%.
But that's it for the losers.
The ASX's winners today were spearheaded by real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) was on fire, surging by 1.78%.
Utilities shares were also in the market's good graces. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) soared by a confident 1.24%.
We can say the same for financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lifted a happy 1.03%.
Tech stocks weren't left out of the party, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s rise of 0.95%.
Nor were miners, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) banking 0.9%.
Gold stocks followed their broader mining cousins higher, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) gaining 0.56%.
ASX consumer discretionary shares were another bright spot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) getting a 0.42% upgrade from investors.
Communications stocks had a decent day too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.2% bounce.
Energy shares were the final winner for this Monday. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) managed to inch 0.19% higher by the closing bell.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming in on top of the index today was healthcare stock Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS). Helaius shares rocketed a decisive 6.52% higher up to $1.225 each.
That was despite no fresh news or announcements out of the company recently.
Here's how the rest of today's ASX winners travelled:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) | $1.225 | 6.52% |
| Goodman Group (ASX: GMG) | $33.98 | 4.14% |
| Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC) | $0.985 | 3.68% |
| NEXTDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) | $17.04 | 3.09% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $9.67 | 2.87% |
| AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) | $1.095 | 2.82% |
| Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) | $27.12 | 2.65% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $13.90 | 2.58% |
| Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) | $26.32 | 2.57% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $77.00 | 2.57% |
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.
