Wall Street JournalThe S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a solid rebound this hump day, clocking a healthy gain despite a midday dip. By the time trading wrapped up, the ASX 200 had banked a gain of 0.66%. That leaves the index at 8,597.7 points, not too far from its all-time high of 8,639.1 points.
This happy Wednesday for the Australian markets comes after a mixed night over on the American markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in fine form, recording a rise of 0.91%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't so lucky though, dropping 0.82%.
But let's get back to ASX shares now and check out how the different ASX sectors handled today's trading conditions.
Winners and losers
We only saw a couple of sectors miss out on today's gains.
Leading those losers were tech shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was left out in the cold today, shrinking by 0.73%.
Gold stocks also missed out, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) tumbling 0.28%.
But it was campfire time for every other sector.
Leading the gains were real estate investment trusts (REITs). The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) was on fire this Wednesday, rocketing 1.85% higher.
Mining shares were in demand as well, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ)'s 1.83% surge.
Communications stocks ran hot, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) soared up 1.08%.
Energy shares didn't miss out either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) jumping up 0.88%.
Utilities stocks had another top session. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) pole-vaulted 0.86% higher today.
Consumer discretionary shares continued the pattern, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.84% bounce.
Its consumer staples counterpart broke it, though. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) galloped up 0.56% by the closing bell.
Next we had healthcare shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) lifting 0.47%.
Industrial stocks fared decently too. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) bounced up 0.32% this hump day.
Finally, financial shares only just landed the plane, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.02% uptick.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's index winner came down to fund manager Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT). Perpetual shares rose a healthy 8.75% to close at $10.14 each.
This big move came despite no fresh news out of the company itself this Wednesday.
Here's how the rest of today's winners tied up at the dock:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Perpetual Ltd (ASX: PPT) | $20.14 | 8.75% |
| Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) | $9.24 | 5.96% |
| AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP) | $1.34 | 5.51% |
| James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX) | $42.93 | 5.30% |
| South32 Ltd (ASX: S32) | $3.12 | 5.05% |
| BlueScope Steel Ltd (ASX: BSL) | $23.94 | 4.68% |
| Centuria Capital Group (ASX: CNI) | $1.78 | 4.40% |
| Mineral Resources Ltd (ASX: MIN) | $22.68 | 4.28% |
| Amcor plc (ASX: AMC) | $14.66 | 4.19% |
| Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) | $15.97 | 3.84% |
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.