It was a jubilant Thursday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX shares today, giving investors some much-needed relief.
After a shaky week, the ASX 200 wasn't holding back today and ended up rocketing 1.38% higher. That leaves the index at a flat 8,327 points.
This happy day for ASX shares follows an equally euphoric morning over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was on fire, shooting up 1.65%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, gaining a huge 2.45%.
Let's get back to the ASX now though and see how these gains percolated down into the different ASX sectors this session.
Winners and losers
There wasn't one single sector that didn't participate in the market rally this Thursday.
The worst place to be was in healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) was largely left out of the rally, inching just 0.01% higher.
Utilities shares had a relatively tame session, too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) crawling up 0.16%.
Consumer staples stocks fared similarly. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) grew by 0.18% today.
Investors were more enthusiastic over energy shares though, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.42% lift.
Consumer discretionary stocks came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) rose by 0.43%.
Industrial shares were in favour too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) bouncing up 0.57%.
Communications stocks were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was sent home with an additional 0.61% to its name.
Investors stepped on the gas with mining shares, though, which is evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.02% vault higher.
Tech stocks bounced back with a vengeance today. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) shot 1.81% higher by the market close.
Gold shares were also running hot, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) soaring 1.87% higher.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were even more lucrative. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) rocketed up a massive 2.34%.
But the best place to be today was financial stocks, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 2.56% surge.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Thursday's index winner came in at healthcare stock Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU). Neuren shares rocketed up an eye-watering 11.53% today to close at $12.28 each.
There wasn't any price-sensitive news out of Neuren today, but it's possible that investors were thinking twice after yesterday's big sell-off.
Here are the other shares that topped the index this session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $12.28 | 11.53% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $3.09 | 9.96% |
| Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) | $14.05 | 6.84% |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.50 | 6.03% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.625 | 5.93% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $54.56 | 5.90% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.32 | 4.98% |
| Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI) | $23.58 | 4.47% |
| Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS) | $3.75 | 4.46% |
| Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR) | $3.56 | 4.40% |
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
