The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed to make it five-for-five days of gains this week, finishing the trading week on a notable high this Friday.
The ASX 200 capped off its lucrative week with a strong gain today, shooting up by a hefty 1.34% to finish up at 7,971.1 points. That means the index has put on a solid 2.1% since last Friday's market close.
Today's dream end to the week's trading follows an equally bullish night up on the American markets overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a ball, surging 1.39%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, rocketing up 2.34%.
Time now to get back to the ASX, and see how the various ASX sectors fared amidst today's well of optimism.
Winners and losers
It was a fantastic session across the ASX board today, with not one sector going backwards.
The worst place to be was in ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) though. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) barely pulled off a gain, inching up 0.07%.
Consumer discretionary stocks also had a relatively muted showing, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) eking out a rise of 0.53%.
Utilities shares stepped on the gas a little more. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) recorded a rise worth 0.67%.
That was mirrored by consumer staples stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) also ticking up 0.67%.
Gold shares did better. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) shot up 0.93%.
Again, that rise was copied by healthcare stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) also moving 0.93% higher.
But communications stocks topped that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) enjoying a 0.94% uptick.
Industrial shares made the ton, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) lifting a flat 1%.
Tech stocks were on fire today. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) bounced up 1.17%.
Financial shares had an epic showing, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.6% surge.
Mining stocks burned even brighter. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) soared 2.14% this Friday.
It was energy shares that topped the markets today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) rocketing by a whopping 2.18%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Handily beating out some stiff competition, today's winner was buy now, pay later (BNPL) stock Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP). Zip shares surged by a huge 13.47% today, up to $2.19 each.
This strong rise follows some compelling retail sales data out of the United States, which we covered extensively this afternoon.
Here's a look at the rest of today's impressive winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $2.19 | 13.47% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $51.99 | 6.19% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $8.72 | 6.08% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $2.90 | 5.84% |
| Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) | $3.06 | 5.52% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.055 | 5.50% |
| Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) | $23.03 | 5.45% |
| Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8) | $9.45 | 5.23% |
| Arcadium Lithium plc (ASX: LTM) | $4.03 | 5.22% |
| Nickel Industries Ltd (ASX: NIC) | $0.825 | 4.43% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary that shows 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.
