It was a very pleasant start to the trading week indeed for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Monday.
After a shaky week that ended with a significant drop on Friday, investors came back from the weekend with some pep in their steps today. After staying comfortably in green territory all session, the ASX 200 ended up closing 1.39% higher. That leaves the index at a flat 8,894 points.
This happy start to the Australian trading week followed a mixed conclusion to the American week on Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) overcame some jitters to close 0.46% higher.
However, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way, dropping down 0.64%.
But let's get back to this week and our local markets now and check out how today's gains filtered down into the various ASX sectors this session.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
Today's gains were almost universal, with only one sector missing out on a rise.
That unlucky sector (no prizes for guessing) was energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was abandoned, crashing 2.99% lower.
It was a veritable party everywhere else, though.
Leading the celebrations were tech stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) rocketing 4.52% today.
Close behind that were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) soared up a happy 3.89%.
Broader mining stocks didn't miss out either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 2.42% surge.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) also ran hot. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) roared up 1.68% this session.
Industrial stocks saw decent demand too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) galloping 1.53% higher.
Healthcare shares lived up to their name this Monday. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) jumped 1.44% by the closing bell.
Communications stocks were right behind that, as you can tell from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 1.41% leap.
Financial shares didn't miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) advanced 1.19%.
Nor did consumer discretionary shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) increasing its value by 0.81%.
Its consumer staples counterpart held up. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) enjoyed a 0.68% lift today.
Finally, utilities shares staged a late recovery to get across the line, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.4% bounce.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's chart-topper was gold stock Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM). Capricorn shares had a blowout, exploding 15.13% higher to finish at $13.70 each. Most gold stocks did well, but Capricorn was boosted further by some pleasing market updates, which we examined here.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $13.70 | 15.13% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.38 | 9.09% |
| Electro Optic Systems Holdings Ltd (ASX: EOS) | $7.45 | 8.44% |
| Predictive Discovery Ltd (ASX: PDI) | $0.675 | 7.14% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $32.12 | 7.00% |
| Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) | $1.12 | 6.67% |
| Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX: PNR) | $2.13 | 6.50% |
| Minerals 260 Ltd (ASX: MI6) | $0.665 | 6.40% |
| FireFly Metals Ltd (ASX: FFM) | $1.76 | 6.36% |
| Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) | $4.90 | 6.06% |
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.
