It was another pleasant day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and Australian investors this Wednesday.
After tentatively rising all week, investors stepped on the buying pedal this hump day (perhaps thanks to the latest inflation data), sending the ASX 200 up a rosy 0.77%. That leaves the index at 8,349.1 points at the market close.
This jubilant mid-week session for the ASX comes despite a rough night up on Wall Street in the early hours of this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) started off strong but ended up closing 0.42% lower.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared even worse, copping a 1.89% beating.
Time to return to the local markets now, though, and check out what was going on amongst the different ASX sectors this hump day.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Despite the gains of the broader market, we still saw some sectors go backwards.
Chief amongst those were tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) seemed to take its lead from the Nasdaq and plunged down 0.82%.
Communications stocks were also punished, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) diving 0.5%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) lost 0.47% of its value today.
We could say the same for energy shares, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.45% dip.
Our final losers were industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) received a 0.15% downgrade this session.
Turning to the winners now, gold shares led the pack. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rushed 2.27% higher by market close.
Mining stocks had a great day, too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) jumping up 1.61%.
Financial shares were also in investors' good books. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) surged 1.27% higher.
Consumer staples stocks joined the ASX party, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.81% leap.
Its consumer discretionary counterpart fared similarly. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) added 0.73% to its total today.
Healthcare shares weren't left out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) enjoying a nice 0.69% uptick.
Finally, utilities stocks also had a day to remember. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) rose by 0.46%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming in as the hottest stock on the index this hump day was gold miner Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL). Bellevue shares rocketed 7.07% today to finish up at $1.06 each.
There wasn't any news out of the company this session. As such, this move might just be a rebound following Bellevue's slump earlier this week.
Here's a look at the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.06 | 7.07% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $2.73 | 5.41% |
| Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) | $0.195 | 5.41% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.93 | 4.64% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $12.46 | 4.62% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.595 | 4.39% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $2.69 | 4.26% |
| Champion Iron Ltd (ASX: CIA) | $5.64 | 4.06% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.55 | 4.03% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $12.43 | 3.15% |
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
