The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a tentative gain this Monday, kicking off the trading week on a solid footing, and at least partially making up for the carnage we saw on the markets last week.
The ASX 200 ended up advancing 0.18% this session, leaving the index at 7,962.3 points at the closing bell.
This positive start to the Australian trading week comes after a similarly hopeful end to the American week on Saturday morning (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) staged a recovery, rising by a decent 0.52%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did one better, vaulting 0.7% higher.
But let's return to this week and our local market to examine how the different ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.
Winners and losers
There were more winners than losers amongst the various sectors this Monday.
But first, the losers.
The worst-performing sector from today's trading was communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was left out in the cold today, suffering a 0.73% sell-off.
Healthcare stocks also missed out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) sinking 0.58%.
Financial shares had a rough one as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up retreating by 0.1%.
The other unlucky corner of the market was consumer staples stocks, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.01% slip.
Turning to the winners now, energy shares were the place to be today. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) rebounded spectacularly, rocketing up 1.5%.
Gold stocks had a party too, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) soaring 1.36% higher.
Broader mining shares were close behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) ended up surging 0.89%.
Utility stocks had a decent time too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.59% lift.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were just behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) rose by 0.43% this Monday.
Following REITs, we had consumer discretionary stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) bouncing up 0.23%.
Industrial shares fared decently. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) added 0.16% to its value this session.
Finally, tech shares eked out a win, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.01% inch higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The index's top performer today was healthcare share Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV). Polynovo shares rebounded by a healthy 4.58% this Monday to finish at $1.26 each.
There wasn't any fresh news from the company today, but it looks as though this is a bounce-back following Friday's steep sell-off.
Here are the rest of the shares that topped today's charts:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.26 | 4.58% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.40 | 4.09% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.425 | 3.66% |
| Whitehaven Coal (ASX: WHC) | $5.90 | 3.51% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $21.78 | 3.32% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $15.73 | 3.28% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $23.00 | 3.23% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.32 | 3.13% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.67 | 3.08% |
| Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) | $118.71 | 3.05% |
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.
