The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a positive start to the week's trading this Monday, despite an afternoon dip from the initial highs we saw this morning.
By the time the markets closed, the ASX 200 had come back from a 1% surge this morning to finish up with a 0.36% gain. That leaves the index at a tantalising 7,997.1 points.
This freewheeling day for the local markets follows a positive finish to the American trading week last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a bumpy time, but still rose 0.05%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was more decisive, climbing 1.26%.
But let's return to this week and the Australian market now to examine what was happening in the various ASX sectors.
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Winners and losers
There were only two sectors that went backwards this Monday.
The first, and worst, of those was gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was left out in the cold today, shrinking by 1.52%.
Broader mining shares were also shunned, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slipping 0.59% lower.
All was well in the world everywhere else, though.
Leading the charge higher today were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) soared up a confident 1.59%.
Tech shares were in demand as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 1.42% surge.
We could say the same for consumer discretionary stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) jumped up 1.32% this session.
Next up were utilities shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) galloping 1.13% higher.
Following utilities were healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) lifted 0.94% today.
Then came communications shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.87% bounce upwards.
Consumer staples stocks saw a decent return as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up rising 0.59%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) got some buying attention too, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) banking a 0.49% gain.
Financial shares gave up an early jump. Even so, the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) still closed 0.26% higher.
Finally, industrial stocks got on the board, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.02% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock on the index came down to mining share Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU). Iluka stock shot up 5.24% this session to close at $4.02 a share.
There wasn't any news out of the company today. However, Iluka is now up more than 28% since 9 April.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $4.02 | 5.24% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $8.50 | 4.29% |
| ALS Ltd (ASX: ALQ) | $16.36 | 3.87% |
| Pro Medicus Ltd (ASX: PME) | $218.63 | 3.72% |
| DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX: DGT) | $2.60 | 3.59% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $8.56 | 3.26% |
| TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) | $28.92 | 3.10% |
| BlueScope Steel Ltd (ASX: BSL) | $22.93 | 2.96% |
| Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI) | $17.62 | 2.68% |
| NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) | $11.40 | 2.52% |
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.
