It was a decent mid-week session for ASX shares and the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday.
After remaining in positive territory for most of the trading day, the ASX 200 ended up recording a rise of 0.28%. That leaves the index at 8,960.5 points.
This happy hump day for the Australian markets comes after a similarly sunny session for American stocks overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in decent form, rising 0.3%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did slightly better, jumping 0.44%.
But let's get back to the local markets now and dive a little deeper into what was going on in the different ASX sectors today.
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Winners and losers
The winners certainly outnumbered the losers this Wednesday.
Leading the losers, though, were consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had a shocker, crashing by a horrid 4.99%.
Tech stocks were shunned as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) cratering by 2.67%.
Communications shares had a tough session, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) took a 1.02% dive today.
Our final losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs), as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.31% dip.
Turning to the winners now, it was gold stocks that took out today's crown. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) roared 2.48% higher this session.
Broader mining shares ran hot as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) surging by 1.42%.
Healthcare stocks were also in demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) galloped up 0.81% by the end of today's trading.
Consumer discretionary stocks weren't left out either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.55% bounce.
Financial shares were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) got a 0.54% boost from the markets this hump day.
Energy stocks were in a similar ballpark too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) lifting 0.49%.
Utilities shares weren't left out. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) saw its value get a 0.42% bump.
Finally, we had industrial stocks, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.36% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Beating out some stiff competition to take out the index's top spot this Wednesday was gaming stock Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH). Tabcorp shares exploded a huge 23.94% higher to finish at 88 cents apiece today.
This followed the release of the company's latest earnings, which were evidently a delight to the market.
Here's a look at the other winners from this session:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.88 | 23.94% |
| SiteMinder Ltd (ASX: SDR) | $6.60 | 21.10% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $41.23 | 13.24% |
| Worley Ltd (ASX: WOR) | $14.00 | 11.02% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.92 | 9.52% |
| Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS) | $2.34 | 8.84% |
| Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) | $1.84 | 7.92% |
| Sigma Healthcare Ltd (ASX: SIG) | $3.04 | 7.80% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $37.45 | 6.76% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $19.00 | 6.74% |
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.
