The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed an explosive day of gains this Wednesday, making it a very happy hump day indeed for most ASX shares.
By the time trading wrapped up, the ASX 200 had rocketed a whopping 1.75% higher to finish up at 8,092.3 points. That also happens to be a new all-time record for the index.
This ecstatic session for ASX shares follows a more mixed night over on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a great time, bouncing 0.5% higher.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way though, crashing down 1.28%.
But let's stick with the better-performing market and check out what the various ASX sectors were doing this Wednesday.
Winners and losers
It was all smiles on the share market today, with not a single sector going backwards.
The worst place to be though was in utilities shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) was a relative laggard, crawling up by a moderate 0.15%.
Healthcare stocks did much better though, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) gaining a strong 0.75%.
Consumer staples shares did slightly better than that. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rose by 0.76%.
Investors really stepped on the gas with ASX financial stocks though. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) charged up 1.66%.
Industrial shares did even better, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) vaulting 1.72% higher.
Then we had real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) got a 1.91% upgrade from investors.
Communications stocks bested that though, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 1.93% rise.
Gold shares weren't left out. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) bounced up 2.15%.
Nor were broader mining stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) seeing a 22% improvement.
Consumer discretionary shares were on fire today. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) surged by 2.28%.
Energy stocks were also running very hot indeed. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) soared up 2.47%.
But our winners for the day were tech shares, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 2.52% rocket trip.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
There was a lot of competition for the best stock on the index today, but the winner went to property share Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC).
Charter Hall stock rose by a healthy 6.91% today up to $12.68 each. There wasn't any news out of the company that might explain this move though.
Here's how the rest of today's winners pulled up:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) | $12.68 | 6.91% |
| Coronado Global Resources Inc (ASX: CRN) | $1.44 | 6.27% |
| Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC) | $0.855 | 6.21% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.29 | 5.74% |
| Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK) | $21.97 | 5.73% |
| Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN) | $4.79 | 5.27% |
| Strike Energy Ltd (ASX: STX) | $0.20 | 5.26% |
| TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) | $20.58 | 5.16% |
| ARB Corporation Ltd (ASX: ARB) | $42.09 | 5.09% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $2.93 | 5.02% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that lets you know which companies made big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
