It was a pleasant end to the short trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday. After a jubilant session yesterday, investors backed up the good times with a 0.6% lift for the ASX 200 today.
That leaves the index at 7,968.2 points as we head into another long weekend.
This strong showing from the local markets comes after a similalry bullish hump day session over on the American markets overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, rising 1.07%
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, rocketing 2.5%.
Let's get back to ASX shares now, though and dive a little deeper into the different ASX sectors' performance for this Thursday.
Winners and losers
There were only three sectors that missed out on the market's good mood today.
Leading those losers were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) saw its value dive 0.7% this Thursday.
Consumer staples shares were also left behind, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) sliding down 0.45%.
Our last losers were communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slipped 0.06% by the closing bell.
But that's it for the losers. Turning to the winners now, gold shares led today's gainers, evidenced by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 1.59% surge.
Healthcare stocks also stood out. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) soared 1.22% higher this session.
Mining shares also had a great day, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) bouncing 1.15% higher.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were a little less enthusiastic. Saying that, the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) still managed a 0.77% jump.
Financial stocks were also in that ballpark, as you'll see by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.71% lift.
Tech shares didn't miss out either. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) recorded a 0.54% rise today.
Following tech were consumer discretionary stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) gaining 0.07%.
Industrial shares managed to eke out a positive day, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ticked up 0.04%.
Finally, utilities stocks barely made the winner's cut, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.03% crawl higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
For the second day in a row, the index's best share came down to Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN). Paladin shares put on another 12.1% to lose at $5.56 each.
This seems to be a continuation of the momentum stemming from yesterday's quarterly update.
Here's how the other winners from this session landed the plane:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $5.56 | 12.10% |
| Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6) | $2.29 | 10.10% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.03 | 9.63% |
| RedMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $36.08 | 8.51% |
| Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) | $2.83 | 8.43% |
| Capstone Copper Corp (ASX: CSC) | $7.51 | 6.98% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $1.68 | 6.35% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $18.23 | 5.93% |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $1.79 | 5.29% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $0.90 | 5.26% |
Enjoy the weekend!
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.
