It was a wild, but ultimately positive Tuesday for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) today. Initially, investors were not in a good mood this morning. But that sentiment changed just before lunchtime and held for the rest of the afternoon as investors pushed the market higher. By the time the closing bell rang, the ASX 200 had recorded a 0.25% rise. That leaves the index at 8,481.8 points.
This optimistic session for the local markets followed a mixed start to the American trading week over on Wall Street in the early hours of this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat, rising by 0.11%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't so lucky, though, falling 0.73%.
But let's return to Australian shares now and take stock of how today's indecisiveness affected the various ASX sectors this session.
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Winners and losers
Even though the market swung around quite a bit today, most sectors ended up in the green.
But not all. The biggest losers from the session were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a clanger this Tuesday, shedding 1.15% of its value.
Consumer staples shares were no safe haven either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) retreating 0.56%.
The other red corner of the markets were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) went backwards by 0.52% today.
But it was all smiles everywhere else.
Leading the green sectors were gold shares, as you can see from the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 3.53% surge.
Tech stocks were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) soared up 2.98% this Tuesday.
Communications shares also ran hot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) vaulting 0.85% higher.
We could say the same for real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) jumped up 0.76% this session.
Consumer discretionary stocks came next, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.51% bounce.
Healthcare shares enjoyed a decent day as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) saw its value climb 0.29%.
Financial stocks were right on that tail, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) adding 0.28% to its total.
Industrial shares scraped over the line, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) lifted 0.24% today.
Finally, mining stocks made the winners cut, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.18% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock was again a gold miner, this time Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG). Resolute shares rocketed 8.56% higher to finish at $1.40 each. There wasn't any price-sensitive news to speak of. Saying that, most gold stocks had a blowout today, as we saw above.
Here's how the other winners pulled up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Resolute Mining Ltd (ASX: RSG) | $1.40 | 8.56% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $4.06 | 7.69% |
| Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG) | $4.20 | 7.42% |
| Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) | $7.10 | 6.77% |
| Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO) | $75.12 | 6.55% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $6.30 | 5.88% |
| Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX) | $5.29 | 5.80% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $5.89 | 5.75% |
| SiteMinder Ltd (ASX: SDR) | $2.86 | 5.54% |
| Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) | $1.17 | 5.43% |
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.
