Wall Street JournalIt was a mildly positive session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX shares this Thursday, building on the incremental gains we saw yesterday. By the time trading wrapped up, the ASX 200 had risen by 0.15%, leaving the index at 8,409.8 points.
This decent, if unspectacular, showing from the local share market came after a decidedly more negative night over on the US markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn't hold an early lead and ended up closing 0.58% lower.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared similarly, getting walked back by 0.51%.
But let's get back to ASX stocks now and see how today's benign trading conditions filtered down into the different ASX sectors today.
Winners and losers
Despite the market's rise, there were a few sectors that missed out.
The most conspicuous of those were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) was left out in the cold this Thursday, plunging 0.98%.
Mining stocks missed out too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) slumping 0.41%.
Consumer staples stocks weren't attracting attention either. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) slid 0.29% lower this session.
Our final losers were healthcare shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ)'s 0.16% slip.
Turning to the winners now, energy stocks were once again the stars of the show. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) galloped 1.34% higher today.
Tech shares had another strong session too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) soaring 0.84%.
Communications shares were solid as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) surged up 0.6% this Thursday.
Financial stocks also redeemed themselves slightly after yesterday's sell-off, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.55% lift.
Industrial shares came next. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) saw a 0.31% improvement by the closing bell.
Utilities stocks were next, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) bouncing up 0.2%.
Gold shares joined the winners' list. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rose by a decent 0.19%.
Finally, consumer discretionary stocks eked out a bump, as you'll see by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.11% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
This Thursday's winning stock was copper miner Capstone Copper Corp (ASX: CSC). Capstone shares roared 4.7% higher today to finish at $8.69 each.
This gain came despite no news out from the company itself today.
Here's the rest of today's best: