It was a successful recovery day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday. Although the ASX 200 didn't make up all of the ground lost yesterday, it did lift by a strong 0.4%. That leaves the index at 7,982.4 points.
Today's happy ASX session follows a mixed night of trading over on the American markets last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to pull off a slight rise, inching 0.093% higher.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't as lucky though, dropping 0.3%.
But let's return to the ASX boards now though and check out what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Thursday.
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Winners and losers
Thankfully, we had far more winners than losers today.
But losers we still had, and none more so than energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was smashed today, plunging 3.86%.
Utilities stocks also suffered, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) tanking 1.58%.
Consumer discretionary shares took a tumble as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sank 0.8% lower.
Healthcare shares round out our red sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slipped by a tamer 0.1% though.
Turning now to the green sectors, tech stocks led the charge today. By the closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had roared 2.31% higher.
ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also running hot. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) surged 1.97% higher.
Gold shares also had a great time, as you can see from the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 1.0% gallop upwards.
Financial stocks were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) soared up 0.99% this Thursday.
Communications shares weren't quite as in demand, but the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) still managed a 0.52% bump.
The same could be said of mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) pushed 0.46% higher today.
Consumer staples shares put on a decent showing, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.21% lift.
Finally, industrial stocks found themselves lucky. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) increased by 0.16%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Data centre operator NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) came in hottest on the index today. NextDC stock shot up a healthy 8.4% to finish at $17.42 a share.
This comes after some major news in the data centre space today.
Here's the list of the shares you wish you owned today:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) | $17.42 | 8.40% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.17 | 5.34% |
| Red 5 Ltd (ASX: RED) | $0.305 | 5.17% |
| Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) | $15.23 | 5.03% |
| Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8) | $9.52 | 4.62% |
| Fletcher Building Ltd (ASX: FBU) | $2.61 | 4.40% |
| Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS) | $3.97 | 4.20% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $5.27 | 3.94% |
| Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG) | $2.83 | 3.66% |
| Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN) | $3.56 | 3.49% |
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.
