It was a wild, yet positive Thursday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) today. After giving up a large lead after lunch, investors managed to save their bacon by the closing bell, keeping the ASX 200 above water with a 0.13% rise. That leaves the index at 8,617.3 points.
This decent day for the Australian markets follows an upbeat morning over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had another strong session, rising 0.67%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) ran ahead of the Dow, gaining 0.82%.
But let's return to the local markets now, and take a deeper dive into what the various ASX sectors were up to this Thursday.
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Winners and losers
We only had two croners of the market that missed out on a rise today.
The first, and worst, of those were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a tough session, diving 1.29%.
The other red sector was mining shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) drifting down 0.17%.
It was a party everywhere else, though. The celebrations were tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rocketed up 2.04% today.
Gold shares ran hot, evidenced by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 1.11% surge.
Healthcare shares saw high demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) soared up 0.75% today.
Consumer discretionary stocks were a little more muted, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) putting on 0.34%.
Industrial shares fared decently, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) jumped by 0.27%.
We could say the same for utilities stocks, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.2% bump.
Communications shares were in a similar boat as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) increased its value by 0.17%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) also found themselves in that ballpark, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) adding 0.14% to its total.
Financial stocks came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lifted 0.1% by the closing bell.
Finally, consumer staples shares only just made the cut, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.03% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
The best stock on the index this Thursday was investment share HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC). HMC shares surged 10.25% this session to close at $3.55 a share.
This move came despite no fresh news out of the company.
Here's how the rest of today's best shares landed their planes:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $3.55 | 10.25% |
| GQG Partners Inc (ASX: GQG) | $1.82 | 8.68% |
| DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX: DGT) | $2.67 | 8.10% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $69.72 | 6.85% |
| Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) | $152.06 | 5.92% |
| Catapult Sports Ltd (ASX: CAT) | $5.36 | 5.72% |
| Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) | $1.59 | 5.32% |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $3.37 | 5.31% |
| IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) | $5.09 | 4.95% |
| Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) | $14.45 | 4.48% |
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.
