It was a mild Thursday session for the Australian share market today, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) recovering from an early morning slump to finish the day 0.22% ahead. That leaves the ASX 200 at 8,297.5 points.
This rather tame day for the ASX follows a mixed night up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) didn't have a fun time of it, dropping 0.21%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared better though, rising a solid 0.72%.
Let's get back to the local markets now and assess how the different ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.
Winners and losers
There were plenty of both winners and losers from today's trading.
Leading the latter group were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was singled out for punishment this Thursday, tanking 2.48%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also punished, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) cratering 1.31%.
Energy stocks had a rough one as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) plunged down 1.11% today.
Broader mining shares came next, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.93% slump.
Industrial stocks weren't popular either. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) saw its value slide 0.21% this session.
Healthcare shares were our final losers, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slipping 0.17%.
Turning to the winners now, it was tech shares that led the charge higher. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was on fire today, shooting 2.06% higher.
Financial stocks ran hot too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.14% jump.
Consumer discretionary shares weren't far off that. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) surged 0.96% higher this Thursday.
Utilities stocks had a great day too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) lifting 0.48%.
Next, we had consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rose 0.3% by the closing bell.
Finally, communications stocks eked out a gain, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.3% gain as well.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock came down to agricultural share Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC). Graincorp stock had a meaningful rise, galloping up 8.81% to $7.78 a share.
This big jump followed the company reporting its latest half-yearly earnings, which investors clearly took a shine to.
Here are the other top performers from today's trading:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) | $7.78 | 8.81% |
| Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) | $8.90 | 5.70% |
| Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) | $182.05 | 4.71% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $45.44 | 3.30% |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd (ASX: FPH) | $34.19 | 3.11% |
| Stanmore Resources Ltd (ASX: SMR) | $2.02 | 2.54% |
| Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) | $83.04 | 2.20% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.705 | 2.17% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $26.54 | 1.92% |
| Artistocrat Leisure Ltd (ASX: ALL) | $63.26 | 1.87% |
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.
