It was a stunning day on the Australian share market this Wednesday, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) rebounding strongly after the malaise we saw earlier in the week.
After staying comfortably in green territory all day, the ASX 200 ended up closing a solid 1.3% higher, leaving the index at 8,793.6 points.
This happy hump day for ASX investors follows a similarly upbeat night over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, rising 0.73%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, gaining 1.03%.
But let's get back to the ASX now though and dive a little deeper into what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors navigated today's tough trading conditions.
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Winners and losers
Today's strong performance didn't lift all boats.
Standing out like a sore thumb were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a clanger today, tanking 2.05%.
Communications shares also missed out, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) tumbling 0.98%.
Healthcare stocks weren't in favour either. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) saw its value take a 0.89% dive today.
Consumer staples shares were no safe haven either, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.86% retreat.
Nor was its consumer discretionary counterpart, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sliding 0.58% lower.
Tech stocks were our last losers. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) drifted 0.47% lower by the close of trading.
Let's get to the green sectors now, though. Leading said winners were mining shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) surging 2.48% higher.
Financial stocks also ran hot. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) ended up soaring 2.39%.
Gold shares didn't miss out, illustrated by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 1.16% spike.
Nor did industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) managed to vault 1.14% higher.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were in demand too, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) galloping up 0.62%.
Finally, utilities shares scraped home with a win, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.14% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Easily leading the index this Wednesday was diversified investment house Infratil Ltd (ASX: IFT). Infratil shares had a blowout today, rocketing 14.95% higher to close at $12.07 each.
This jump followed the company's announcement that it had secured a massive data centre deal.
Here's how the other top stocks pulled up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Infratil Ltd (ASX: IFT) | $12.07 | 14.95% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $8.08 | 6.60% |
| Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR) | $2.54 | 6.28% |
| Sims Ltd (ASX: SGM) | $21.39 | 5.47% |
| Downer EDI Ltd (ASX: DOW) | $8.05 | 4.68% |
| Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR) | $5.99 | 4.54% |
| Capstone Copper Corp (ASX: CSC) | $11.70 | 4.28% |
| NRW Holdings Ltd (ASX: NWH) | $6.67 | 4.06% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $69.30 | 3.96% |
| Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) | $16.38 | 3.74% |
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.
