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.
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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.
