It was a successful recovery day for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) this Thursday. Although the ASX 200 didn't make up all of the ground lost yesterday, it did lift by a strong 0.4%. That leaves the index at 7,982.4 points.
Today's happy ASX session follows a mixed night of trading over on the American markets last night.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) managed to pull off a slight rise, inching 0.093% higher.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't as lucky though, dropping 0.3%.
But let's return to the ASX boards now though and check out what was happening amongst the various ASX sectors this Thursday.
Winners and losers
Thankfully, we had far more winners than losers today.
But losers we still had, and none more so than energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was smashed today, plunging 3.86%.
Utilities stocks also suffered, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) tanking 1.58%.
Consumer discretionary shares took a tumble as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) sank 0.8% lower.
Healthcare shares round out our red sectors. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) slipped by a tamer 0.1% though.
Turning now to the green sectors, tech stocks led the charge today. By the closing bell, the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) had roared 2.31% higher.
ASX real estate investment trusts (REITs) were also running hot. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) surged 1.97% higher.
Gold shares also had a great time, as you can see from the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 1.0% gallop upwards.
Financial stocks were right behind that. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) soared up 0.99% this Thursday.
Communications shares weren't quite as in demand, but the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) still managed a 0.52% bump.
The same could be said of mining stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) pushed 0.46% higher today.
Consumer staples shares put on a decent showing, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.21% lift.
Finally, industrial stocks found themselves lucky. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) increased by 0.16%.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Data centre operator NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) came in hottest on the index today. NextDC stock shot up a healthy 8.4% to finish at $17.42 a share.
This comes after some major news in the data centre space today.
Here's the list of the shares you wish you owned today:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| NextDC Ltd (ASX: NXT) | $17.42 | 8.40% |
| Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS) | $2.17 | 5.34% |
| Red 5 Ltd (ASX: RED) | $0.305 | 5.17% |
| Charter Hall Group (ASX: CHC) | $15.23 | 5.03% |
| Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8) | $9.52 | 4.62% |
| Fletcher Building Ltd (ASX: FBU) | $2.61 | 4.40% |
| Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS) | $3.97 | 4.20% |
| IGO Ltd (ASX: IGO) | $5.27 | 3.94% |
| Domain Holdings Australia Ltd (ASX: DHG) | $2.83 | 3.66% |
| Nanosonics Ltd (ASX: NAN) | $3.56 | 3.49% |
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.