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.
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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.
