It was a very happy hump day indeed for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday. By the time the markets closed, the ASX 200 had added another 0.52% to its total. That leaves the index at 8,386.8 points.
Today's pleasing hump day followed a much more pessimistic night over on the American markets overnight (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) slumped by an anaemic 0.27%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, getting walked back by 0.38%.
But let's return to happier tidings now and dive a little deeper into what the different ASX sectors were doing on the local markets today.
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Winners and losers
There were only two sectors that missed out on today's investor optimism.
The first, and worst, of those were industrial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was hit fairly hard, losing 0.52% of its total today.
The other unlucky sector was consumer discretionary stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) losing 0.16%.
But it was all smiles everywhere else.
Leading the winners this Wednesday were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) recovered with a vengeance this session, rocketing 4.99% higher.
Energy stocks were in demand too, as you'll see by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 1.02% jump.
Healthcare shares had a big win as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) surged 0.95% higher this hump day.
We could say the same for communications stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) soaring up 0.88%.
Utilities shares were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) added 0.82% by the closing bell.
Financial stocks were in demand as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.74% leap.
Tech shares were in a similar ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) ended up lifting 0.63%.
Mining stocks didn't miss out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) seeing a 0.56% improvement.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) made the winners cut as well. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) bounced up 0.28% this Wednesday.
Finally, consumer staples shares had a decent showing, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.23% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The best stock on the index this hump day was gold miner Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU). Perseus shares soared a huge 9.73% higher today and closed at $3.72 each.
There wasn't any fresh news out of the company this Wednesday, but most ASX gold shares had a stunner, as you can see below:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $3.72 | 9.73% |
| Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR) | $4.56 | 8.57% |
| Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK) | $23.69 | 6.95% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $8.67 | 6.91% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $2.49 | 6.87% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $4.86 | 6.81% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $4.15 | 6.68% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.68 | 6.35% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $2.72 | 6.25% |
| TechnologyOne Ltd (ASX: TNE) | $38.94 | 5.93% |
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.
