It was a bouncy but still positive Wednesday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) today.
After yesterday's brutal 1.66% drop, investors were probably relieved to see the ASX 200 recover this hump day, rising 0.13% to finish at a flat 8,216 points.
Today's rather pleasant session for the Australian markets follows a tentative night of trading over on Wall Street in the early hours of this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn't quite cross its Ts and was walked back 0.016%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) pulled off a win though, rising 0.18%.
Let's return to ASX shares now and check out how the different ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.
Winners and losers
We had more winners than losers this Wednesday.
But starting with the latter, it was tech shares that suffered the most. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was singled out for punishment, crashing 0.99%.
Energy stocks didn't have a great day either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) taking a 0.75% hit.
Healthcare shares also missed out. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) retreated 0.51% today.
Our last losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs), evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.21% drop in value.
Turning to the winners now, it was consumer staples shares that were the best place to have money in this Wednesday. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) enjoyed a 1.44% surge.
ASX gold stocks continued their recent form too, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) vaulting up 0.88%.
Consumer discretionary shares were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) soared 0.44% higher.
Mining stocks also ran fairly hot, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.4% rise.
Financial shares were a little more subdued. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) managed a 0.2% bounce.
We can say the same for communications stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) lifting 0.19%.
Industrial shares pulled off a win as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) mirrored that 0.19% increase.
Finally, utilities stocks only just made it across the line, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.03% inch higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
National carrier Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) took the top spot today. Qantas shares surged 3.44% to close at $7.82 each after hitting a new record high of $7.87 during intra-day trading.
There were no obvious catalysts for this move, although we discussed some possible causes here.
Here's a look at the rest of today's winning shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) | $7.82 | 3.44% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.62 | 3.18% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $2.56 | 2.81% |
| Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF) | $5.55 | 2.78% |
| Stanmore Resources Ltd (ASX: SMR) | $3.09 | 2.66% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $80.87 | 2.60% |
| Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) | $11.85 | 2.16% |
| Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) | $17.44 | 2.05% |
| Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) | $139.17 | 1.99% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $5.37 | 1.90% |
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.
