It was an interesting and historic day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday. At market open, the ASX 200 was straight out of the blocks, rising as much as 0.6% and hitting a new all-time record high of 8,639.1 points soon after.
But investors cooled their jets over the rest of the day, with the index closing at 8,592.1 points, up a far tamer 0.057%.
This momentous day for Australian investors comes after a positive session up on the American market overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) put on a solid show, rising 0.25%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared slightly better, gaining 0.63%.
Let's get back to the ASX now and take stock of how the various ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.
Winners and losers
The winners outnumbered the losers this Wednesday, although not by much.
Leading said losers were tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had a horrid time, tanking by 1.49%.
Healthcare shares were left out in the cold as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) plunging 0.83%.
Gold stocks were no safe haven either. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) saw its value drop by 0.77%.
Financial shares gave up an early lead to close lower, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.15% fall.
Utilities stocks were our final losers for the day. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) had taken a 0.07% hit by the time the markets closed.
Turning to the winners now, it was real estate investment trusts (REITs) that stood out, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) soaring 0.89% higher.
Energy shares were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) jumped up 0.77% today.
Mining stocks weren't too far from that, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.63% surge.
Consumer staples shares were a little more muted. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had lifted 0.29% by the closing bell.
Communications stocks fared similarly, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) bouncing 0.27% higher.
Consumer discretionary shares and industrial stocks round out our list this hump day. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) both ticked up by 0.06%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's winner was once again payments stock Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP).
Zip shares added an impressive 15.45% to their value this Wednesday, leaving the company at $2.69 a share. This healthy gain came after Zip dramatically upgraded its earnings outlook with an announcement this morning.
Here's a look at the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $2.69 | 15.45% |
| Fletcher Building Ltd (ASX: FBU) | $3.08 | 10.00% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.715 | 8.33% |
| Reece Ltd (ASX: REH) | $16.96 | 5.87% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $1,43 | 5.56% |
| Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) | $3.64 | 3.70% |
| Reliance Worldwide Corporation Ltd (ASX: RWC) | $4.49 | 3.70% |
| Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) | $16.21 | 3.45% |
| National Storage REIT (ASX: NSR) | $2.42 | 3.42% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $25.71 | 3.17% |
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.
