The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed to start the trading week off on a positive note this Monday, despite spending most of the session in red territory. After a wild and woolly trading session, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.02% higher, leaving the index at 8,663.7 points.
This jumpy start to the Australian trading week followed a very rough end to the American week last Friday night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a shocker, falling a sizeable 1.23%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was far worse, though, tanking by a nasty 2.23%.
But let's return to this week and the local markets now and examine what happened in the various ASX sectors.
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Winners and losers
There were plenty of both losers and winners this Monday
Starting with the former, it was industrial shares that were hardest hit this session. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was sent home with a 0.6% loss today.
Energy stocks got a whacking too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slumping 0.57%.
Financial shares fared identically to energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) also tanked by 0.57%.
Next up were tech shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s drop of 0.42%.
Consumer discretionary stocks couldn't escape the negativity either. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) ended up losing 0.11% of its total.
That was mirrored by real estate investment trusts (REITs), with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) also retreating 0.11%.
That's it for the losers. Turning to the green sectors now, gold shares led the charge higher. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rocketed a massive 3.57% this Monday.
Broader mining stocks also had a day to remember, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.22% surge.
Consumer staples shares ran hot as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up soaring 1.15% higher today.
Utilities stocks found some buyers too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) lifting by 0.58%.
Communications shares came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) got a 0.51% bump over today's trading.
Finally, healthcare stocks eked out a rise, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.17% tick up.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming out on top of the index this Monday was gold miner Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU). Vault shares exploded 6.76% higher today to close at 39.5 cents a share.
This move came after the company released some encouraging drilling results this morning before market open.
Here's how the other top performers from today's trading ended up:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.395 | 6.76% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $0.825 | 6.45% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) | $16.16 | 5.62% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.59 | 4.44% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $11.25 | 4.07% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $3.76 | 3.87% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.83 | 3.75% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.18 | 3.51% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $2.33 | 3.10% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $30.76 | 3.01% |
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.
