The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) turned a corner this Thursday and recorded its first day of gains, if only just, since Monday's session.
By the time trading wrapped up today, the ASX 200 had risen by 0.037% up to 7,611.2 points, despite spending time in both positive and negative territory during intra-day trading.
This mild performance for ASX shares this Thursday follows a similar night of trading over on the US markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) also spent time in both camps but ended up falling over the line and rising 0.13%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) went the other way though, dropping by 0.32%.
But back to the ASX now, so let's check out how the various ASX sectors handled today's trading.
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Winners and losers
We had a bit of a mixed bag amongst the different ASX sectors this Thursday.
Leading the losers was the consumer discretionary sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had a pretty nasty day, tanking by 0.66%.
Also on the nose were communications stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) closed 0.57% lower today.
Financial shares weren't in a good mood either, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s retreat of 0.22%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) again round out the losers list. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) had a fairly average day, slipping by 0.08%.
Turning now to the winning sectors, these were led by utilities shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) had a wonderful day, putting on a solid 2.01%.
Energy stocks were also on fire, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ)'s rise of 0.52%.
ASX tech shares were close behind, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) shooting up by 0.44%.
Then we had industrials stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) was another bright spot, lifting by 0.39%.
Healthcare shares had a top day as well, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s increase of 0.27%.
Mining stocks followed healthcare, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) rising by 0.23%.
Consumer staples shares recovered slightly from yesterday's cratering. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) vaulted 0.14% higher by the closing bell.
Finally, gold stocks had a mildly confident day. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) ended up inching 0.08% upward.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top stock turned out to be fund manager Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL).
Insignia shares had a rollicking day, surging 13.72% up to $2.57 a share. This move follows the release of what was obviously a very pleasing set of earnings results this morning.
Here's how the rest of today's winners turned out:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL) | $2.57 | 13.72% |
| Bega Cheese Ltd (ASX: BGA) | $4.01 | 12.96% |
| Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) | $27.30 | 10.39% |
| Fletcher Building Ltd (ASX: FBU) | $3.61 | 8.41% |
| Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) | $43.62 | 7.70% |
| Ventia Services Group Ltd (ASX: VNT) | $3.70 | 5.41% |
| Weebit Nano Ltd (ASX: WBT) | $4.15 | 5.33% |
| CSR Ltd (ASX: CSR) | $8.36 | 5.16% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | $13.76 | 4.01% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $7.62 | 3.81% |
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.
