It was an enjoyable wrap-up to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday.
After falling from Monday through to Wednesday, the ASX 200 continued to build on the turnaround we saw yesterday by rising 0.47% this session. That leaves the index at 8,628.2 points as we head into the weekend.
Today's market optimism followed a similarly sunny morning up on the American markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to eke out a modest 0.14% rise.
But the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was far more enthusiastic, gaining 1.38%.
Let's return to the Australian markets now, and check out how the various ASX sectors fared amid today's happy trading conditions.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
There were only a handful of sectors that missed out on a gain this Friday.
Leading those sectors were consumer staples stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) gave up an early lead to close down a decisive 0.57% today.
Mining shares mirrored that loss, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) also retreating 0.57%.
Communications shares were the other unlucky corner of the market. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) was walked back by 0.26% this session.
Let's get to the winners now. Leading the charge higher were tech stocks, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 2.22% surge.
Financial shares ran hot, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) soared 1.07% higher by the close of trading.
We could say the same for industrial shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) galloping up 0.88%.
Consumer discretionary stocks also had a fantastic session. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) jumped 0.78% today.
Healthcare shares saw some nice demand too, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.69% hike.
Gold stocks didn't miss out either. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) lifted 0.49% this Friday.
Utilities shares were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) bouncing 0.46%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) joined the winners as well. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) climbed up 0.44%.
Finally, energy stocks made the cut, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 0.09% inch higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Defence stock DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) continued its recent run at the top of today's chart. This Friday saw Droneshield shares rocket anotehr 11.65% to finish at $2.78 each.
There wasn't anything new out of the company today, but Droneshield has had a wildly volatile week (even more so than usual).
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) | $2.78 | 11.65% |
| Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) | $1.32 | 11.44% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $9.09 | 9.25% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.80 | 8.76% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $7.49 | 8.24% |
| Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) | $13.56 | 7.96% |
| Greatland Resources Ltd (ASX: GGP) |
$10.55 | 7.65% |
| DigiCo Infrastructure REIT (ASX: DGT) | $2.75 | 7.00% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $30.50 | 5.72% |
| Austal Ltd (ASX: ASB) | $6.60 | 5.77% |
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.
