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.
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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.
