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.
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: