It was a positive end to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday. A third day of gains in a row for the ASX 200 saw it close at 8,231.2 points today. That's after the index recorded a 0.48% rise this session.
This happy end to the week for Australian shares follows a pumping night up on the American markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, jumping up 0.62%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, galloping 1.07% higher.
Let's return to the local markets now and assess what was happening with the different ASX sectors this Friday.
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Winners and losers
There were far more winners than losers this session.
Losers there still were though, and leading them were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was left out in the cold, diving 0.68%.
Broader mining stocks didn't have a great time either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) retreating 0.46%.
Our last losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) ended up slipping 0.03% lower by the closing bell.
Turning to the winners now, it was tech stocks that stood out. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) soared 1.82% higher over today's trading.
Financial shares had a strong session too, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.1% surge.
Consumer staples stocks were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) galloping 1.03% upwards.
Energy shares were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) rose by 0.79% today.
Utilities stocks weren't too far off that, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.64% lift.
Nor were communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) received a 0.51% bump from investors this Friday.
Healthcare shares joined the pre-weekend party, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) bouncing 0.37% higher.
Consumer discretionary stocks eked out a gain, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) increased its value by 0.1%.
Finally, industrial shares were our last winners, as you'll see by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.04% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's winner, by a mile, was lithium share Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR). Liontown shares vaulted 17.59% higher to finish at 62.5 cents each.
Although there was no fresh news out of Liontown today, the company is now up 35% over the past month.
Here are the other shares you wish you owned today:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.635 | 17.59% |
| Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL) | $2.27 | 10.19% |
| Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) | $1.58 | 6.04% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.70 | 5.26% |
| News Corporation (ASX: NWS) | $53.13 | 4.83% |
| Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) | $14.14 | 4.82% |
| Block Inc (ASX: XYZ) | $77.96 | 4.07% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $11.68 | 3.91% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $13.29 | 3.83% |
| Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) | $203.31 | 3.79% |
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.
