It was a very happy end to a happy trading week for ASX investors this Friday, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) once again resetting its all-time record high.
By the time the closing bell rang today, the ASX 200 had crossed the 8,900-point threshold for the first time ever before closing at 8,938.6 points. That's also the ASX 200's latest record high, as it happens.
This monumental day for ASX shares followed a much more subdued night up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn't quite stick the landing and dropped 0.035% last night.
Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, declining by 0.011%.
But let's get back to the happier local market now and dive a little deeper into what was happening amongst the different ASX sectors today.
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Winners and losers
There were only two sectors that missed out on a rise this Friday.
The first, and worst, of those was tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was left out of the party today, dropping 0.16%.
Consumer staples stocks were the other unlucky corner of the market, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) sliding 0.01%.
But it was all smiles everywhere else.
Leading the gainers this session were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a blowout, shooting 1.22% higher.
Energy stocks ran hot too, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 1.14% surge.
Mining shares also saw high demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) ended the day soaring 1.14% higher as well.
Financial stocks had plenty of buyers as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lifting 1.05% higher.
Next up, we had industrial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) recorded a rise of 0.54% today.
Communications stocks followed close behind that, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.52% bounce.
Consumer discretionary shares were in a similar ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) jumped by 0.46% this Friday.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) found some buyers as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) lepaing up 0.2%.
We could say the same for utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) added 0.18% to its value this session.
Finally, healthcare shares eked out a rise, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.13% improvement.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Energy stock Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) was our index winner for this Friday, surging 7.68% to $29.15 a share.
This big move came after the company revealed an exciting takeover, which we dove into here.
Here's a look at the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) | $29.15 | 7.68% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $4.57 | 5.79% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.845 | 5.63% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $14.49 | 5.23% |
| Orora Ltd (ASX: ORA) | $2.32 | 4.50% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $12.18 | 4.19% |
| Ventia Services Group Ltd (ASX: VNT) | $5.50 | 4.17% |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $2.51 | 3.29% |
| Insurance Australia Group Ltd (ASX: IAG) | $8.84 | 2.91% |
| Nuix Ltd (ASX: NXL) | $2.48 | 2.90% |
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.
