The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) ended the trading week on a high note this Friday, doubling down on the gains we saw yesterday.
By the time the share market closed up shop, the ASX 200 had banked another 0.51%. That leaves the index at 8,871.2 points as we head into the weekend.
This jolly end to the trading week for Australian investors follows an excited night up on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was back in form, climbing 0.77%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was even more enthusiastic, shooting up a comfortable 0.98%.
But let's return to ASX shares now and examine how today's broad gains affected the different ASX sectors this session.
Winners and losers
Most sectors followed the market up this Friday, but there were two exceptions.
The first of those was consumer staples shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) was shunned by investors, slumping 0.31%.
Energy stocks were the other unlucky corner of the market, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slipping 0.28% lower.
It was all smiles everywhere else, though.
Leading the charge higher today were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a cracker, rocketing 2.1% higher today.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also in demand, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 1.38% surge.
Consumer discretionary stocks ran hot as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had galloped 1.33% upwards by the closing bell.
Tech shares saw some significant buying too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) vaulting up 1.18%.
Industrial stocks weren't left out of the party either. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) enjoyed a 0.59% bounce this session.
Communications shares were right behind that, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.59% lift.
Financial stocks did their part, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up closing 0.47% higher this Friday.
Mining shares fared slightly less well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) gaining 0.28%.
Utilities stocks were in a similar ballpark. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) added 0.19% to its value this session.
Finally, healthcare stocks only just made the winner's cut, as you can tell by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.06% crawl higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's index winner was investment company HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC). HMC shares shot up a jubilant 10.29% today to close the week at $3.75 a share. This gain came despite no news, announcements, or obvious catalysts out from the company itself, though.
Here are the other shares that made waves this Friday:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $3.75 | 10.29% |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $1.53 | 8.16% |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $2.12 | 6.53% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $5.09 | 5.60% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $5.36 | 5.51% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $0.60 | 5.26% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $4.49 | 4.66% |
| NRW Holdings Ltd (ASX: NWH) | $4.33 | 4.59% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $0.915 | 4.57% |
| Liontown Resources Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $0.93 | 4.49% |
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.
