It was a bouncy but still positive Wednesday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) today.
After yesterday's brutal 1.66% drop, investors were probably relieved to see the ASX 200 recover this hump day, rising 0.13% to finish at a flat 8,216 points.
Today's rather pleasant session for the Australian markets follows a tentative night of trading over on Wall Street in the early hours of this morning.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn't quite cross its Ts and was walked back 0.016%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) pulled off a win though, rising 0.18%.
Let's return to ASX shares now and check out how the different ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.
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Winners and losers
We had more winners than losers this Wednesday.
But starting with the latter, it was tech shares that suffered the most. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was singled out for punishment, crashing 0.99%.
Energy stocks didn't have a great day either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) taking a 0.75% hit.
Healthcare shares also missed out. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) retreated 0.51% today.
Our last losers were real estate investment trusts (REITs), evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.21% drop in value.
Turning to the winners now, it was consumer staples shares that were the best place to have money in this Wednesday. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) enjoyed a 1.44% surge.
ASX gold stocks continued their recent form too, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) vaulting up 0.88%.
Consumer discretionary shares were in demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) soared 0.44% higher.
Mining stocks also ran fairly hot, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 0.4% rise.
Financial shares were a little more subdued. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) managed a 0.2% bounce.
We can say the same for communications stocks, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) lifting 0.19%.
Industrial shares pulled off a win as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) mirrored that 0.19% increase.
Finally, utilities stocks only just made it across the line, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.03% inch higher.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
National carrier Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) took the top spot today. Qantas shares surged 3.44% to close at $7.82 each after hitting a new record high of $7.87 during intra-day trading.
There were no obvious catalysts for this move, although we discussed some possible causes here.
Here's a look at the rest of today's winning shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) | $7.82 | 3.44% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.62 | 3.18% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $2.56 | 2.81% |
| Steadfast Group Ltd (ASX: SDF) | $5.55 | 2.78% |
| Stanmore Resources Ltd (ASX: SMR) | $3.09 | 2.66% |
| JB Hi-Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) | $80.87 | 2.60% |
| Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) | $11.85 | 2.16% |
| Credit Corp Group Ltd (ASX: CCP) | $17.44 | 2.05% |
| Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) | $139.17 | 1.99% |
| Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) | $5.37 | 1.90% |
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.
