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It was another recovery day for the Australian share market this Wednesday. After turning a corner yesterday, investors piled back in to ASX 200 shares over this hump day session with gusto.

By the time trading wrapped up, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) had gained a pleasing 1.85%. That lifts the index up to 8,534.3 points.

This happy Wednesday for the local markets comes despite a far more bearish morning over on Wall Street.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn't quite stick the landing, dropping 0.18%

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) fared even worse, falling by 0.84%.

But let's get back to the ASX now and dig into what was going on amongst the various ASX sectors today.

Winners and losers

Today's gains were almost universal, with only a handful of sectors missing out on a rise.

Leading those red sectors were energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) went against the tide this session, plunging 2.33%.

Consumer staples shares were unlucky too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) sliding 0.12% lower.

The other losers this Wednesday were utilities stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) slipped by 0.06% by the closign bell.

That's it for the loser though, so let's get to the green sectors. At the top of those sectors were gold shares, evident from the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)'s 8.16% rocket higher.

Broader mining stocks ran hot as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) managed to soar 4.41%.

Then we had industrial shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) galloping 1.89% higher.

Healthcare stocks enjoyed strong demand as well. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) jumped 1.17% today.

We could say the same for consumer discretionary shares, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 1.64% lift.

Tech stocks didn't miss out either. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) saw its value spike 1.49%.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were just behind that, with the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) leaping 1.48%.

Financial shares didn't miss out. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) enjoyed a 1.32% advance today.

Finally, communications stocks received some positive attention, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)'s 0.46% bounce.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Today's winner was defence stock DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO). Droneshield shares exploded 19.33% higher this session to close at $4.26 each.

That was despite no major news or announcements out from the company. Droneshield was heavily sold off earlier this week, so perhaps this is just a routine rebound.

Here's how the other winners tied up at the dock this hump day:

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO)	$4.26	19.33%
Silex Systems Ltd (ASX: SLX)	$5.55	13.50%
Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd (ASX: VUL)	$3.29	11.90%
Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR)	$1.73	11.61%
Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL)	$1.41	11.07%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$11.48	11.03%
Greatland Resources Ltd (ASX: GGP)	$10.41	10.86%
Emerald Resources N.L. (ASX: EMR)	$5.22	10.83%
Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU)	$4.02	10.44%
Imdex Ltd (ASX: IMD)	$3.68	10.18%

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.

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended DroneShield and is short shares of DroneShield. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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