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.
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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.
