It was a day of relief for investors this Wednesday, as the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shook off the malaise that afflicted the markets earlier this week to push higher.
By the time trading wrapped up, the ASX 200 had lifted by a healhty 0.31%, leaving the index at 8,830.4 points.
This happy hump day for the ASX stock market comes after a similarly positive session up on the US markets overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) put on a strong showing, rising by 0.43%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, banking a 0.37% gain.
But let's get back to the local markets now and dig deeper into how the various ASX sectors benefited (or not) from the broader market's optimism.
Winners and losers
We did see more winners and losers today, but losers there still were.
Leading that pack were mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) had a rough one, tanking 1.7%.
Gold shares were also left out of the party, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) ticking up 0.39%.
Continuing the commodities theme, our final losers were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) slipped 0.1% today.
Turning to the winners now, it was financial shares that saw the largest gains this Wednesday, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.32% jump.
Communications stocks had a strong day as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) soared up 0.91%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) ran fairly hot too, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) lifting 0.62%.
Industrial stocks also saw strong demand. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ended up bouncing 0.48% higher.
Tech shares came next, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.36% bump.
Consumer staples stocks saw some buying action. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) ended up rising 0.34%.
We could say the same for healthcare shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) adding 0.3% to its total.
Consumer discretionary shares made the winner's cut as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) put on 0.29% this hump day.
Our final winners were utilities stocks, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.22% increase.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's chart topper was healthcare stock Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6). Clarity shares rocketed 7.1% higher this session to close at $3.32 each.
This gain came despite no fresh news out of the company today.
Here's how the other winners landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6) | $3.32 | 7.10% |
| Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) | $1.73 | 4.53% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $14.42 | 4.34% |
| Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG) | $6.33 | 3.60% |
| Mesoblast Ltd (ASX: MSB) | $2.31 | 3.13% |
| Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) | $20.51 | 3.07% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $5.45 | 3.02% |
| Computershare Ltd (ASX: CPU) | $37.12 | 2.65% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $14.97 | 2.89% |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $3.63 | 2.83% |
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.
