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.
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.
