The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a positive finish to the trading week this Friday, its first of the new financial year. After a nervous dip just before market close, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.084% higher. That leaves the index at a flat 8,603 points as we head into the weekend, a record close.
This tentative Friday session for the local markets comes after a far more bullish session over on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, shooting 0.77% higher.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was even more impressive, rocketing up 1.02%.
But let's return to the ASX now to examine how the different ASX sectors reacted to today's gains.
Winners and losers
Despite the market's overall lift, some sectors still missed out. The most conspicuous of those were mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) was left out in the cold today, plunging 0.97%.
Gold stocks weren't exempted, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) diving 0.61%.
Nor were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) took a 0.23% tumble today.
Industrial stocks were again our final fallers, as you can gather by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.12% slide.
Turning to the winners now, it was consumer discretionary shares that took out the crown today. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) was in fine form indeed, soaring 0.81% higher.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were right on that tail, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) surging up 0.79%.
Healthcare stocks weren't left out either. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) enjoyed a 0.72% bounce this Friday.
Consumer staples shares had a strong day too, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.64% lift.
Tech stocks ran hot, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had gained 0.54% by the time trading wrapped up.
Utilities shares saw some buying as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) recording a rise of 0.24%.
Financial stocks were a little more muted. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) still put on 0.14% though.
Finally, communications shares eked out an improvement, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.1% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best share was healthcare stock Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6). Clarity shares had a blowout today, shooting 6.91% higher to close the week at $2.94 each.
There wasn't any price-sensitive news out of the company. Saying that, it did release quite a few notices which might have caught investors' attention.
Here are the other shares that topped the index's charts this Friday:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6) | $2.94 | 6.91% |
| AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) | $1.43 | 5.17% |
| Corporate Travel Management Ltd (ASX: CTD) | $14.71 | 4.18% |
| ARB Corporation Ltd (ASX: ARB) | $34.37 | 3.62% |
| Pinnacle Investment Management Ltd (ASX: PNI) | $21.22 | 3.41% |
| Amotiv Ltd (ASX: AOV) | $8.62 | 3.36% |
| HUB24 Ltd (ASX: HUB) | $91.75 | 2.85% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.755 | 2.72% |
| Viva Energy Group Ltd (ASX: VEA) | $2.29 | 2.69% |
| Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) | $20.62 | 2.69% |
Enjoy the weekend!
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.
