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.
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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
