The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) notched up another gain this Thursday, building on the gains that we saw in yesterday's session.
By the time trading closed today, the ASX 200 had risen by a decent 0.16%. That leaves the index at 8,191.7 points.
This solid session for ASX shares comes after an even stronger night up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) put on a good show, rising by 0.7%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't quite as enthusiastic though, lifting 0.27%.
But let's get back to the Australian markets now and take a look at what was going on amongst the various ASX sectors this Thursday.
Winners and losers
The worst-performing corner of the markets this session was financial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) missed out today, shrinking by 0.62%.
We could say the same for consumer discretionary stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) walked back 0.25%.
Healthcare shares also joined the losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slid 0.14% lower today.
But that's it for the red sectors. Turning to the green ones now, gold stocks led the gains, illustrated by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 2.16% surge.
Utilities stocks ran hot, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) saw its value spike by 1.81%.
Industrial shares didn't miss out either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) soaring 1.71%.
Tech stocks were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) bounced 1.33% this session.
Next came consumer staples shares, as you'll see by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.86% jump.
After that followed real estate investment trusts (REITs) and communications stocks. Both the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) jumped 0.81% this Thursday.
Mining shares were next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) bouncing 0.47% higher.
Finally, energy stocks eked out a rise, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.04% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The best company on the index this Thursday was healthcare stock Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV). Polynovo shares rocketed a huge 11.45% today to close at $1.46 each.
This big rise came despite no obvious catalysts from the company this session.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.46 | 11.45% |
| Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG) | $4.72 | 8.76% |
| Orica Ltd (ASX: ORI) | $18.01 | 7.39% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $4.35 | 5.84% |
| Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) | $13.95 | 5.28% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.34 | 4.71% |
| IRESS Ltd (ASX: IRE) | $8.52 | 4.67% |
| DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX: DGT) | $3.11 | 4.01% |
| Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC) | $4.31 | 3.86% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $95.19 | 3.78% |
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.
