It was a happy Thursday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Thursday. A welcome development for investors, no doubt, after six straight days of selling.
After opening in the green this morning, the ASX 200 spent the entire day in positive territory. Despite some bumpiness, the index ended up closing 0.33% higher at 9,083.8 points.
This happy session for ASX shares followed a similarly optimistic night over on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a good mood, managing to rise 0.22%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, gaining 0.16%.
But let's get back to today and our local markets for a closer look at what was going on amongst the various ASX sectors this session.
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Winners and losers
Despite today's good mood across the broader market, there were still a few sectors that went backwards.
Leading those losers were financial stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) was hit hard today, tanking by 1.93%.
Consumer staples shares were left out in the cold as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) sinking 1.17%.
Industrial stocks were also unlucky. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) slumped 1.05% this session.
Communications shares didn't find many buyers either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.71% dive.
Next came consumer discretionary stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) copped a 0.27% slide this Thursday.
Our last losers this session were utilities shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) getting a 0.05% reduction.
Let's get to the winners now, though. Leading the green sectors today were gold stocks. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had an absolute blowout, rocketing up a huge 8.39%.
Broader mining shares were also on fire, as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 3.52% surge.
Tech stocks had a day to remember, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had roared 2.54% higher by the closing bell.
Healthcare shares lived up to their name as well, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) lifting 1.39%.
Energy stocks enjoyed another positive session. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) put on another 0.45%.
Finally, real estate investment trusts (REITs) got over the line, evident by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.13% jump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
It's very rare that we see ten ASX 200 shares all gain more than 10% in one day, but here we are. Today's winner did much better than 10%, though. Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) shares exploded 18.22% higher this session to finish at $3.05 each.
This followed the financial stock's latest earnings, which clearly made an impression.
Here's how the other top stocks tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $3.05 | 18.22% |
| Super Retail Group Ltd (ASX: SUL) | $14.45 | 15.05% |
| Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) | $1.59 | 14.03% |
| Codan Ltd (ASX: CDA) | $48.88 | 12.42% |
| Alkane Resources Ltd (ASX: ALK) | $1.77 | 10.97% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $8.23 | 10.92% |
| Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) | $6.66 | 10.82% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $8.01 | 10.33% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $17.59 | 10.28% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $15.07 | 10.16% |
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.
