It was a very happy hump day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday. After kicking off the trading week with a bang on Monday and jumping meaningfully higher yesterday, investors decided to keep up the positive momentum this session.
After remaining in green territory all day, the ASX ended up finishing 1.01% higher at 9,038.6 points. We haven't seen the index that high since late February.
This rather epic Wednesday for the Australian markets followed a mixed Tuesday for the US markets overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) didn't hold back, rising 1.03%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did, though, dropping 0.22%.
But let's get back to ASX shares now and take a closer look at what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors today.
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Winners and losers
It was a uniform show of optimism on the ASX boards this Wednesday, with not one sector recording a loss.
The least enthusiastic corner of the markets was financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) crawled 0.19% higher this session.
Utilities shares were relatively muted as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) advancing 0.25%.
Then we had industrial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was up 0.48% this session.
Gold shares didn't miss out either, as you can see by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 0.59% bump.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were a little more enthusiastic. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) ended up lifting 0.75%.
Energy stocks did better again, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) shooting 0.92% higher.
Tech shares managed to hit the triple-digits. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) galloped up 1.08% this hump day.
It was a similar story with mining stocks, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.13% jump.
Communications stocks came after miners. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) added 1.5% to its total.
Consumer staples stocks really stepped on the gas though, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) vaulting 1.98% higher.
Its consumer discretionary counterpart did even better. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) soared up 2.37% today.
Finally, healthcare stocks topped the charts this Wednesday, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 4.24% surge.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Retailer Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) was our top stock today. Lovisa shares roared 7.88% higher this hump day to close at $24.64 each.
This jump came despite no news or announcements from the company itself.
Here's how the top shares pulled up at the kerb:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $24.64 | 7.88% |
| CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) | $128.07 | 7.15% |
| Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) | $17.96 | 5.28% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $23.78 | 5.27% |
| Stockland Corporation Ltd (ASX: SGP) | $4.44 | 4.96% |
| Nick Scali Ltd (ASX: NCK) | $16.35 | 4.81% |
| Minerals Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $55.62 | 4.75% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $81.80 | 4.67% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.91 | 4.60% |
| Seek Ltd (ASX: SEK) | $14.68 | 4.41% |
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.
