The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat today, recording a mild rise.
After spending the whole day in red territory, the ASX 200 surged into green territory just before market close, banking a rise of 0.13%. That leaves the index at 7,663 points this Tuesday.
This rather remarkable turnaround for the Australian markets today follows a weak night up on Wall Street last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had a mediocre session to kick off the US trading week, dropping 0.16%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was just as pessimistic, falling 0.13%.
But returning to the ASX now, let's take stock of the various ASX sectors and how they fared this Tuesday.
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Winners and losers
It was a fairly even mix between the winning and losing sectors today.
Kicking off with the latter, gold stocks were the worst place to have money invested in today. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had another painful session, tanking by 1.88%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also targeted by sellers, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) retreating by a tamer 0.81%.
Utilities shares had a down day too, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s loss of 0.74%.
Healthcare stocks were rejected by investors as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up losing 0.6% of its value.
Mining shares were another sore spot. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slid 0.39% lower by the closing bell.
Our final loser was the communications sector. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) slipped by 0.14% today.
Turning now to the winners, and its consumer staples stocks that took out the crown today. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) had a wonderful time on the markets, surging by 2.15%.
ASX tech shares came in behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) banking a gain of 1.26%.
Then we had energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was also on fire, rising by 0.52%.
Financial stocks followed energy, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) recording a 0.48% lift.
Consumer discretionary shares were up next. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) had a good time too with its uptick of 0.41%.
Industrial stocks were our last winner, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) adding 0.35% to its value.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock on the index was plumbing company Reece Ltd (ASX: REH).
Reece shares surged a massive 18.31% up to $28.50 each after the company posted its latest earnings this morning. Clearly, investors were impressed with the increases in revenue, earnings and profits that Reece displayed.
Here's how the rest of today's winners pulled up:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Reece Ltd (ASX: REH) | $28.50 | 18.31% |
| Helia Group Ltd (ASX: HLI) | $4.68 | 7.83% |
| WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) | $95.38 | 7.00% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $11.70 | 6.75% |
| Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL) | $16.75 | 5.48% |
| Endeavour Group Ltd (ASX: EDV) | $5.34 | 5.12% |
| CSR Ltd (ASX: CSR) | $8.80 | 5.01% |
| Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN) | $2.74 | 4.18% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $4.72 | 3.96% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | $1.18 | 3.96% |
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.
