It ended up being a happy hump day indeed for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares this Wednesday.
After a rough session yesterday, ASX 200 investors were back to their happy place today, with the index adding 0.57% to close up at 8,406.7 points.
This productive day for ASX shares follows a similarly decent performance up on Wall Street this morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) had another rosy session, rising 0.28%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, gaining 0.63%.
But let's return to the local markets now and take stock of what the different ASX sectors were up to this Wednesday.
Image source: Getty Images
Winners and losers
It was an exceptional day indeed for Australian shares this hump day, with not a single sector going backwards.
The worst place to be invested was in healthcare shares, though. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) managed to inch just 0.02% higher today.
Mining stocks were also muted, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) crawling up 0.17%.
Energy shares did a little better, though. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) rose by 0.25%.
Consumer staples stocks improved on that again, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.39% uptick.
Industrial shares tied with that. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) also increased by 0.39%.
But real estate investment trusts (REITs) did far better, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) gaining 0.65%.
Utilities stocks upped the ante as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) bounced up 0.72%.
Then we had tech shares, as you'll see from the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ)'s 0.75% lift.
Financial stocks had a fantastic time of it this Wednesday. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) swelled by 0.84%.
And communications shares did even better, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) surging 0.87%.
Consumer discretionary stocks took out this session's silver medal. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) soared up 1.03%.
But it was ASX gold shares that fittingly placed first. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had rocketed a huge 1.99% by today's close.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best share was travel stock Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB). Web shares enjoyed a happy 13.48% surge this Wednesday, finishing at $4.80 a share.
This big bump followed the company releasing its latest half-year results this morning, which investors evidently found pleasing.
Here's a look at the other top stocks of the day:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Web Travel Group Ltd (ASX: WEB) | $4.80 | 13.48% |
| Life360 Inc (ASX: 360) | $24.70 | 6.24% |
| Ampol Ltd (ASX: ALD) | $29.64 | 4.37% |
| Polynovo Ltd (ASX: PNV) | $2.14 | 3.88% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.54 | 3.85% |
| Domino's Pizza Enterprises Ltd (ASX: DMP) | $32.55 | 3.83% |
| Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) | $2.52 | 3.70% |
| TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG) | $4.50 | 3.45% |
| Premier Investments Ltd (ASX: PMV) |
$35.23 | 3.34% |
| A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) | $5.71 | 3.26% |
| Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) |
$17.62 | 2.56% |
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.
