The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) kicked off December (and summer) trading on a positive note this Monday, recording a modest rise for the day.
The ASX 200 ended up adding 0.14% to its value this session, leaving the index at 8,447.9 points.
This happy start to the week, month and season for ASX shares comes after a similarly bullish conclusion to last week, month and season for the American markets in the early hours of Saturday morning (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, rising by 0.42%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) did even better, shooting up 0.83%.
But let's return to this week and the local markets now to examine how the various ASX sectors started their respective weeks.
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Winners and losers
Despite the market's overall rise, a number of sectors still went backwards today, if only slightly.
Leading those losers were gold shares. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) was out of favour today, tanking by 1.55%.
ASX healthcare stocks also had a rough time, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) dipping 0.4%.
Utilities shares barely missed out on a gain. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) dropped by just 0.06%.
The same could be said of financial stocks, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.03% slide.
Lastly, for the losers, we had real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) was tantalisingly close to breaking even this Monday but ended up slipping by 0.02%.
Turning to the winners now, it was tech shares that topped the markets today. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was propelleed 0.91% higher.
Consumer discretionary stocks also shone, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) soaring up 0.87%.
Energy shares also performed well, as evidenced by the surge of the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ), which was 0.64%.
Consumer staples stocks were slightly more muted though. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) got a 0.31% bump today.
Communications shares were in the same ballpark, with the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) lifting 0.3%.
Mining stocks wrangled out a win as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) banked a rise worth 0.19%.
Finally, industrial shares enjoyed a small rise, as evidenced by the 0.12% uptick in the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ).
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's best stock on the index was gold miner De Grey Mining Ltd (ASX: DEG). De Grey shares rocketed 29.61% to finish at $1.97 each.
This came after the company revealed it has agreed to a $5 billion takeover offer from fellow gold stock Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST).
Here's a look at the rest of today's top stocks:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| De Grey Mining Ltd (ASX: DEG) | $1.97 | 29.61% |
| Gold Road Resouces Ltd (ASX: GOR) | $2.04 | 9.38% |
| Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) | $0.21 | 7.69% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $35.72 | 6.21% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $5.15 | 6.19% |
| EVT Ltd (ASX: EVT) | $11.76 | 2.98% |
| Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (ASX: TAH) | $0.55 | 2.80% |
| Auckland International Airport Ltd (ASX: AIA) | $7.21 | 2.71% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.23 | 2.50% |
| Metcash Ltd (ASX: MTS) | $3.19 | 2.24% |
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.
