We've just had another mighty fine day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Wednesday. After rising enthusiastically over both Monday and Tuesday, buying really stepped on the gas today. By the close of trading, the ASX 200 had catapulted 1.21% higher, closing out the session at 7,297.7 points.
We saw equally positive moves up on Wall Street overnight, so it's not too shocking to see the ASX 200 follow suit today.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a top session last night (our time), shooting up 0.85%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) put that to shame though, soaring by a chunky 1.74%.
Let's get back to the ASX now though, and see which ASX sectors contributed the most to this happy rise.
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Winners and losers
It was almost a universally positive day for ASX shares, with only a couple of sectors not invited to the party.
First amongst those was the telecommunications sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) had a poor showing this Wednesday and retreated by 0.2%.
Joining in the pity part were utilities shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) also had a bad hair day and ended up falling by 0.02%.
But that's it for the losers today. Let's now discuss the far more numerous winners.
Leading the vanguard of today's stock market gains were industrial shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) had a very pleasing day indeed, rocking 2.14% higher.
Just behind were gold stocks, evidenced by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s happy 1.97% rise.
Next up was the healthcare sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) bounced high too, recording a rise of 1.81%.
ASX tech stocks didn't miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was right up there with its lift of 1.63%.
Consumer staples stocks were another winning place to be. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) gave investors a 1.46% gain.
That was almost mirrored by ASX mining shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) was just behind with its 1.44% bump.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) didn't miss out either, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) jumping up 1.28%.
Financials and energy stocks were also bright spots on the markets today. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) and the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) vaulted up by 1.11% and 0.94% respectively.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
As you might expect from such a positive day overall, we had some big jumps upward within our top ten shares today. Chief amongst those was BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) shares.
The Brainchip share price added a massive 9.09% today, lifting the company up to 30 cents a share. However, this comes after the huge, earnings-inspired sell-off that we saw earlier this week.
Here are today's other winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| BrainChip Holdings Ltd (ASX: BRN) | $0.30 | 9.09% |
| Healius Ltd (ASX: HLS) | $2.92 | 7.75% |
| Brambles Limited (ASX: BXB) | $15.15 | 7.07% |
| Eagers Automotive Ltd (ASX: APE) | $15.79 | 5.62% |
| Abacus Storage King (ASX: ASK) | $1.265 | 5.42% |
| Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) | $1.015 | 5.18% |
| Lake Resources N.L. (ASX: LKE) | $0.215 | 4.88% |
| Siteminder Ltd (ASX: SDR) | $4.78 | 4.82% |
| Johns Lyng Group Ltd (ASX: JLG) | $6.34 | 4.79% |
| Imugene Ltd (ASX: IMU) | $0.066 | 4.76% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
