The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a strong start to the week's trading this Monday.
After staying in green territory all session, the ASX 200 ended up clocking a 0.47% rise today. That leaves the index at 8,252.8 points.
This happy start to the week for Australian investors follows a strong finish to the American trading week last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was on fire, shooting up 0.97%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but still rose 0.33%.
Let's return to this week and our local market with a checkup of what was happening in the various ASX sectors today.
Winners and losers
Despite the market's overall rise, we still had a few sectors that went backward this Monday.
Most prominently amongst those losers were energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a rough start to the week, tanking 1.26%.
Tech stocks were also out of favour, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) losing 0.57% of its value.
Consumer discretionary shares were shunned by the markets too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) retreated by 0.47%.
Utilities stocks woke up on the wrong side of the bed as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.36% drop.
Communications shares saw investors heading for the exits. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) dove 0.23% today.
Industrial stocks were also unlucky, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) taking a 0.07% bath.
Consumer staples shares weren't too far off that. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) took a 0.06% dip.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were today's final losers, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.05% slip.
Turning to the winners now, gold stocks led the charge higher. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a cracker today, surging 2% higher.
Broader mining shares performed well too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) soaring 1.3%.
ASX healthcare stocks were in demand too. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) rose 0.89% this Monday.
Finally, financial shares had a day to remember, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.78% jump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Gold miner Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) crowned today's top ten. Regis shares shot up 6.02% to $2.29 each this Monday.
That was despite no fresh news from the company. However, as we touched on earlier, most gold shares had a great day.
Here's a look at the rest of today's winners:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $2.29 | 6.02% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.42 | 4.41% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.50 | 3.82% |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $3.73 | 3.61% |
| Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR) | $11.14 | 2.86% |
| Insignia Financial Ltd (ASX: IFL) | $2.88 | 2.86% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $4.70 | 2.85% |
| Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) | $20.02 | 2.82% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $53.60 | 2.74% |
| Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI) | $60.58 | 2.64% |
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.
