It was a strange session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday.
By the time the markets wrapped up, the ASX 200 had snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat, rising 0.0025% to close at 8,071.4 points. That was after the index fell as low as 0.7% earlier this morning.
This middling hump day for the ASX follows a more positive night of trading up on the American markets overnight.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to squeak to a gain, inching up 0.024%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) improved on that with a rise worth 0.16%.
But let's return to the ASX now and examine what the various ASX sectors were doing today.
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Winners and losers
Despite the stagnation of the broader market, quite a few sectors rose in value this session. But more on those later.
Kicking things off, the worst-performing sector today was energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was a horror show, tanking 1.41%.
Communications stocks weren't much better for investors, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) crashing 1.35% lower.
Mining shares had a day to forget as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) cratered 0.97%.
ASX tech stocks were also left out in the cold, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.61% drop.
Gold shares gave up an early lead to finish lower. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) fell by 0.28% today.
Industrial stocks couldn't stick the landing either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) recording a 0.15% decline.
But that was it for the red sectors. Turning to greener pastures, it was consumer staples shares leading the charge higher today. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) rocketed a compelling 1.4%.
Financial stocks were another bright spot, with the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) soaring 0.77%.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) had a good crack too. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) enjoyed a 0.29% bounce.
Consumer discretionary shares had a decent time as well, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.17% lift.
Utilities stocks were a happy lot. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) ended up gaining 0.07%.
Finally, healthcare shares had a rubber, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) staying essentially flat.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's winner by a mile was buy now, pay later (BNPL) stock Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP). Zip stock shot up by a whopping 13.88% this Wednesday to close at $2.38.
As we dove into today, this rise might have been a rebound after Monday's earnings-driven sell-off.
Here's the rest of today's best shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) | $2.38 | 13.88% |
| Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) | $2.69 | 5.91% |
| ResMed Inc (ASX: RMD) | $35.45 | 5.57% |
| Worley Ltd (ASX: WOR) | $15.16 | 4.70% |
| Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd (ASX: FLT) | $20.05 | 3.72% |
| Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: LYC) | $7.02 | 3.39% |
| Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) | $36.62 | 3.27% |
| Smartgroup Corporation Ltd (ASX: SIQ) | $7.78 | 3.05% |
| Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) | $8.70 | 2.23% |
| HMC Capital Ltd (ASX: HMC) | $8.31 | 2.09% |
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.
