The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed an exceptional Thursday session today. Building on yesterday's optimism, it once again reset its record high.
The ASX 200 ended up closing up 0.45% at 8,444.3 points, a record close for the index. That's after hitting the new all-time record of 8,477.1 points during intra-day trading.
This momentous day for the Australian market comes after a far more negative session up on Wall Street for American investors early this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) went backwards, losing 0.31% of its value.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was hit even harder, tanking 0.6%.
Let's return to happier news, though, and take a look at what the various ASX sectors were doing amid today's optimism.
Winners and losers
Despite today's market milestones, we still saw a few sectors lose ground.
Chief amongst those were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a rough time this Thursday, losing 0.43% of its value.
Energy stocks weren't much better, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) dropping 0.32%.
ASX industrial shares were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) fell by 0.28%.
Communications stocks made a bit of an improvement, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ's 0.14% dip.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) suffered a slight retreat. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) slid down 0.11%.
Last for the losers were consumer discretionary shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) slipping 0.05% lower.
Turning to the winners now, healthcare stocks led the pack. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) flew 1.61% higher today.
Financial shares also had a great time, illustrated by the 0.8% surge in the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ).
Utilities stocks were making hay as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) soared 0.59%.
Consumer staples shares were a little more muted though, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) lifting 0.37%.
The same could be said of mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) got a 0.23% bump.
Finally, tech shares pulled off a win, as evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.22% improvement.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best share on the index came in as tech high flyer, Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME).
Pro Medicus shares shot up a pleasing 8.66% to finish at $248.18 this Thursday. This happy gain comes after the company announced it had signed its largest-ever contract, worth $330 million.
Here's how the rest of today's best landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) | $248.18 | 8.66% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $3.38 | 3.68% |
| Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) | $8.47 | 3.55% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.34 | 3.03% |
| Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) | $2.78 | 2.96% |
| Guzman y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG) | $42.13 | 2.96% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $12.87 | 2.88% |
| Dexus (ASX: DXS) | $7.19 | 2.86% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $29.22 | 2.63% |
| NIB Holdings Ltd (ASX: NHF) | $5.70 | 2.52% |
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.
