It was a very happy return to trading indeed for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX shares this Monday. After a stellar end to last week's trading on Friday, investors came back from the weekend having lost none of their pizazz.
Perhaps reacting to some positive global geopolitical events over the weekend, the ASX 200 spent the entire session comfortably in the green and closed a happy 1.25% higher. That leaves the index at a flat 8.914 points – a near-two-month high.
This celebratory session on the local markets followed a similarly joyous day that closed the American trading week last Friday night (our time).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was in a great mood, rising 0.7%.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but still gained 0.31%.
But let's get back to this week and ASX shares now and dive a little deeper into how the various ASX sectors fared this Monday.
Winners and losers
Despite the unbridled optimism in the broader market, there were a few sectors that were left out in the cold.
The most conspicuous of those were, naturally, energy stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) was smashed today, crashing 5.58% lower.
Utilities shares had a rough one too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) diving 1.79%.
Communications stocks also missed out. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) saw its value tank 1.19% today.
Consumer staple shares were no safe haven either, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ)'s 0.78% dip.
Our final losers were healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) drifted 0.01% lower today.
Let's turn to the winners now. Leading the team were gold shares, with the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) rocketing 9.12%.
Broader mining stocks were in favour too. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) shot up 4.06% by the closing bell.
We could say the same for real estate investment trusts (REITs), as you can see by the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 1.52% spike.
Financial shares found themselves on the right side of the fence, too. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) galloped up 1.12%.
Then came tech shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) seeing a 1.05% improvement this Monday.
Industrial stocks followed. The S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) ended up cruising 0.39% higher.
Finally, consumer discretionary shares squeaked over the line, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ)'s 0.13% bump.
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top stocks were almost all gold miners, with Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) coming in at the top spot.
Ora Banda shares polevaulted 16.29% today, finishing at $1.29 a share. Today's big move up for the gold price, combined with a new contract announcement, seems to be the catalyst for this leap.
Here's the rest of today's best:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) | $1.29 | 16.29% |
| Vault Minerals Ltd (ASX: VAU) | $4.60 | 14.71% |
| Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) | $6.63 | 13.33% |
| Bellevue Gold Ltd (ASX: BGL) | $1.52 | 13.01% |
| Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL) | $1.60 | 12.72% |
| Catalyst Metals Ltd (ASX: CYL) | $5.63 | 12.15% |
| Greatland Resources Ltd (ASX: GGP) | $13.70 | 11.93% |
| IDP Education Ltd (ASX: IEL) | $2.37 | 11.27% |
| Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) | $13.36 | 11.15% |
| Capstone Copper Corp (ASX: CSC) | $15.72 | 10.47% |
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.