It was a pleasant end to the trading week for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Friday. After yesterday's strong gain shook off the volatility that we saw earlier in the week, today's gains cemented that optimism.
After spending the entire session in green territory, the ASX 200 ended up closing 0.41% higher today. That leaves the index at a flat 8,657 points as we head into the weekend.
This pleasing end to the Australian trading week follows a bullish session on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to overcome some early jitters to rise 0.55%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't quite as optimistic, though, and inched 0.087% higher.
But let's return to ASX shares now for a discussion on what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Friday.
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Winners and losers
Despite the market's lift, there were a few corners that didn't rise with it.
The most notable of these losers were communications shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had a bit of a stinker, shedding 1.86% of its value.
Utilities stocks weren't popular either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) tanking 1.09%.
Nor were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) retreated 0.88% today.
Our last losers were consumer discretionary shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.18% slide.
Turning to the green sectors now, it was mining stocks that again topped the charts. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) saw its value rocket 1.27% this session.
Energy shares were also in demand, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) surging 1.01%.
Gold stocks were just behind that. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) jumped up 0.99% today.
Next came industrial shares, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ)'s 0.51% advance.
Consumer staples stocks were a success today, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) managed a 0.46% lift.
Tech shares were right on that tail, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) vaulting 0.43% higher.
Financial stocks didn't miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) added 0.34% to its ledger this Friday.
Finally, healthcare shares squeaked over the line, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.03% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Beating some healthy winners today was healthcare stock 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX). 4DMedical shares shot up 10.37% this session to finish the week at $3.62 each.
This move came without any news from the company itself. Saying that, 4D has been quite volatile of late.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) | $3.62 | 10.37% |
| Guzman y Gomez Ltd (ASX: GYG) | $19.81 | 9.57% |
| Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX) | $5.96 | 6.05% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $11.07 | 5.93% |
| Imdex Ltd (ASX: IMD) | $4.26 | 5.71% |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $4.35 | 5.07% |
| Iluka Resources Ltd (ASX: ILU) | $8.03 | 4.97% |
| Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: NEU) | $13.67 | 4.83% |
| IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) | $5.13 | 4.69% |
| Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) | $5.88 | 4.63% |
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.
