The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) enjoyed a strong start to the week's trading this Monday.

After staying in green territory all session, the ASX 200 ended up clocking a 0.47% rise today. That leaves the index at 8,252.8 points.

This happy start to the week for Australian investors follows a strong finish to the American trading week last Friday night (our time).

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) was on fire, shooting up 0.97%.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but still rose 0.33%.

Let's return to this week and our local market with a checkup of what was happening in the various ASX sectors today.

Winners and losers

Despite the market's overall rise, we still had a few sectors that went backward this Monday.

Most prominently amongst those losers were energy shares. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) had a rough start to the week, tanking 1.26%.

Tech stocks were also out of favour, with the S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) losing 0.57% of its value.

Consumer discretionary shares were shunned by the markets too. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) retreated by 0.47%.

Utilities stocks woke up on the wrong side of the bed as well, evidenced by the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ)'s 0.36% drop.

Communications shares saw investors heading for the exits. The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ) dove 0.23% today.

Industrial stocks were also unlucky, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) taking a 0.07% bath.

Consumer staples shares weren't too far off that. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) took a 0.06% dip.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were today's final losers, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ)'s 0.05% slip.

Turning to the winners now, gold stocks led the charge higher. The All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) had a cracker today, surging 2% higher.

Broader mining shares performed well too, with the S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) soaring 1.3%.

ASX healthcare stocks were in demand too. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) rose 0.89% this Monday.

Finally, financial shares had a day to remember, illustrated by the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)'s 0.78% jump.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Gold miner Regis Resources Ltd (ASX: RRL) crowned today's top ten. Regis shares shot up 6.02% to $2.29 each this Monday.

That was despite no fresh news from the company. However, as we touched on earlier, most gold shares had a great day.

Here's a look at the rest of today's winners: