The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed another green day this Wednesday, its third of the week, as investors gained optimism about the state of the markets. By the time trading wrapped up today, the ASX 200 had added 0.14% to its value, pushing the index up to 8,820.6 points.
This happy hump day for the local market comes despite a rough morning on the American markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was hit hard, dropping by 0.8%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared a little better, but still fell 0.1%.
But let's return to ASX shares now and dive a little deeper into how this session's optimism spilled into the different ASX sectors.
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Winners and losers
There were far more green sectors than red ones this Wednesday.
Leading the latter, though, were financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was notably left out in the cold today, diving 0.72%.
We could say the same for communications shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) dipping 0.23%.
The other shunned corner of the markets today was tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) couldn't quite stick the landing, sliding 0.06% lower.
Let's get to the green sectors now. Leading the charge higher were energy stocks, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s 2.32% surge.
Gold shares had another top day, too. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) saw its value spike 0.93%.
Broader mining stocks were right behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) soaring 0.9%.
Consumer discretionary shares also ran hot. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) galloped 0.76% higher this session.
Its consumer staples counterpart saw some demand as well, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.19% lift.
Next came utilities shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) had 0.17% added to its total this Wednesday.
Healthcare stocks were in the same ballpark, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) jumping 0.12%.
As were industrial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) improved by 0.1% today.
Finally, real estate investment trusts (REITs) managed to eke out a rise, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.06% crawl higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Coming in on top of the index charts this hump day was energy stock Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR). Karoon shares careened 7.4% higher today to close at $1.67 each.
There wasn't much in the way of news out from the company. But saying that, most energy stocks had a stellar session.
Here's how the other top stocks tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) | $1.67 | 7.40% |
| IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) | $7.16 | 7.19% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $20.47 | 6.06% |
| Beach Energy Ltd (ASX: BPT) | $1.21 | 5.24% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $29.98 | 4.50% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $7.67 | 4.21% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $15.56 | 3.32% |
| Whitehaven Coal Ltd (ASX: WHC) | $8.59 | 3.87% |
| Guzman y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG) | $21.70 | 3.63% |
| Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) | $6.31 | 2.77% |
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.
