It was a strong start to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Monday.
Investors seemed to come back from the weekend with a fresh spring in their steps, sending the ASX 200 0.85% higher by the end of today's session. That leaves the index at 8,862.8 points.
This rather spectacular start to the Australian trading week followed a similarly strong finish to the American trading week last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, shooting 0.65% higher.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was also strong, rising by 0.44%.
But let's return to this week and the local market now and see how today's broad market rises filtered down into the various ASX sectors.
Winners and losers
Today's gains were spread quite evenly amongst the different sectors of the ASX, with only two missing out on a rise.
The first of those unlucky sectors was tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was a bit of a black sheep this Monday, retreating by 0.59%.
The other red sector turned out to be energy shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) sliding 0.41% lower. But it was much better everywhere else.
Leading the winning sectors this Monday were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was on fire this session, exploding 3.2% higher.
Financial stocks ran hot too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 1.72% surge.
Next came healthcare shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) saw some strong demand, surging 1.29%.
Industrial stocks also proved popular, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) galloping up 0.76%.
Communications shares were right on industrials' tail. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) managed to bounce up 0.73%.
Consumer staples stocks didn't miss out either, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.49% lift.
Nor did its consumer discretionary counterpart. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) vaulted 0.44% higher this Monday.
Utilities shares made the winners cut, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) rising 0.28% today.
Mining stocks put on a good show as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) added 0.27% to its value today.
Finally, real estate investment trusts (REITs) joined the ASX party, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.19% improvement.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Taking out the top index spot this Monday was defence stock DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO). Droneshield shares rocketed a huge 17.96% higher today to finish at $4.40 each. This huge gain came despite no fresh news out of the company, which isn't exactly uncommon in this case.
Here's how the other top performers of today's session fared:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) | $4.40 | 17.96% |
| Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) | $7.58 | 4.55% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $10.73 | 4.38% |
| Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) | $132.30 | 4.03% |
| Greatland Resources Ltd (ASX: GGP) | $7.41 | 3.93% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $50.35 | 3.90% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $5.85 | 3.72% |
| Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd (ASX: NEC) | $1.20 | 3.45% |
| IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) | $7.96 | 3.38% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $3.78 | 3.28% |
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.
