The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat today, giving up an early plunge to finish slightly ahead. By the closing bell, the ASX 200 had added a tentative 0.013%, leaving the index at exactly 7,750 points.
This underdog start to the week comes after a decent end to the American trading week last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was clearly looking forward to the weekend and galloped 0.32% higher.
We can't say the same for the Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) though, which inched 0.033% lower.
But let's get back to the ASX now, with an analysis of how the various ASX sectors kicked off their respective weeks.
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Winners and losers
It was a fairly subdued day of trading for Australian investors this Monday.
The worst place to be ended up being the energy sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a shocker, tanking by 0.73%.
Tech stocks didn't get a look in either. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was walked backwards by 0.56%.
Industrial shares fared a little better than that, but the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) still retreated by 0.15%.
Financial stocks were fairly flat, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.03% slide.
Even flatter were miners, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipping by 0.02%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) stayed exactly where they were on Friday though. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) ended today exactly where it started.
Turning to the winners now, and today's best sector was consumer discretionary shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had a ball, banking a healthy rise of 0.52%.
That was closely followed by consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rose by 0.48%.
Healthcare shares were also a great place to be, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.41% increase.
As were gold stocks, although less so. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) gave up an early surge to book a 0.06% gain.
Utilities shares almost mirrored those returns, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) lifting by 0.03%.
Communications stocks were our final winners for the day, although the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) only managed a slight 0.02% improvement.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming in best this Monday was gold stock Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL).
Bellevue shares rose by a confident 5.4% by the end of trading. There wasn't any news out of the company, but this rise could be a result of some recent love from an ASX broker.
Here's how the rest of today's winners pulled up:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.855 | 5.40% |
| Bapcor Ltd (ASX: BAP) | $4.63 | 4.75% |
| Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI) | $4.08 | 4.08% (coincidence) |
| IPH Ltd (ASX: IPH) | $6.02 | 3.44% |
| Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ) | $8.44 | 3.18% |
| Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR) | $3.60 | 2.86% |
| Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) | $1.28 | 2.40% |
| Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) | $13.45 | 2.13% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $57.30 | 1.79% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.72 | 1.78% |
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.
