It was a pleasant Thursday session for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and many ASX shares today. After yesterday’s sunny showing, investors were keen to double down on the buying this session, with the ASX 200 remaining in positive territory all day, and closing 0.18% higher. That leaves the index at a flat 8,839 points.

This in-form display on the ASX boards follows a more downbeat session up on Wall Street last night.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJX: .DJI) couldn’t hold on to an early lead and finished 0.012% lower.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (NASDAQ: .IXIC) was more decisive, dropping 0.57%.

But let’s return to ASX shares now and check out what the various ASX sectors were up to this Thursday.

Winners and losers

Despite the market’s gains, we had an even split between red and green sectors today.

Leading those red sectors were tech stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX: XIJ) was hit hard, plunging 3.32%.

Consumer discretionary shares weren’t popular either, with the S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary Index (ASX: XDJ) diving 1.52%.

Next came healthcare stocks. The S&P/ASX 200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) ended up slumping 1.43%.

Communications shares were also on the nose, evident from the S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX: XTJ)’s 1.15% dip.

Consumer staples stocks were no safe haven. The S&P/ASX 200 Consumer Staples Index (ASX: XSJ) went backwards by 0.53%.

Our last losers were industrial shares, with the S&P/ASX 200 Industrials Index (ASX: XNJ) slipping 0.46%.

Turning to the green sectors now, mining stocks headlined the winners. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index (ASX: XMJ) soared 1.37% higher this session.

Gold shares were in demand as well, illustrated by the All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD)’s 1.34% surge.

Energy stocks ran hot too. The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) saw its value climb 0.98%.

Utilities shares followed energy, with the S&P/ASX 200 Utilities Index (ASX: XUJ) lifting 0.65%.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) also enjoyed today’s market sunshine. The S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index (ASX: XPJ) vaulted up 0.52% today.

Finally, financial stocks got across the line intact, as you can see from the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ)’s 0.29% bump.

Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown

Financial stock Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG) was our best performer on the ASX today. Generation shares rocketed a massive 37.13% this session to close at $4.58 each. This extraordinary leap higher followed an exceptionally well-received quarterly update.

Here’s how the rest of today’s top stocks tied up at the dock: 

ASX-listed company	Share price	Price change
Generation Development Group Ltd (ASX: GDG)	$4.58	37.13%
Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN)	$10.19	11.61%
James Hardie Industries plc (ASX: JHX)	$36.99	6.14%
Minerals 260 Ltd (ASX: MI6)	$0.66	5.60%
Deep Yellow Ltd (ASX: DYL)	$1.43	5.56%
Liontown Ltd (ASX: LTR)	$1.28	3.64%
Sandfire Resources Ltd (ASX: SFR)	$19.36	3.58%
Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR)	$1.62	3.53%
Alcoa Corporation (ASX: AAI)	$66.11	3.52%
Alkane Resources Ltd (ASX: ALK)	$1.40	3.32%

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.

The post Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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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 no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Generation Development Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 300 Index (ASX: XKO) shares rose 2.84% and delivered a total return, including dividends, of 6.16% in FY26.

The ASX 300 underperformed the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which lifted 2.77% and gave a total return of 7%.

As always, there were outliers. And boy, did they outperform.

Here are three ASX 300 shares that were on a supersonic growth trajectory last financial year.

3 ASX 300 shares that smashed their peers in FY26

Sunrise Energy Metals Ltd (ASX: SRL)

This ASX 300 mining share ripped 2,040% higher in FY26, finishing the year at $17.23.

Sunrise Energy is working towards becoming a world-leading supplier of refined metals for advanced and emerging technologies.

The company is focused on scandium, nickel, and cobalt, which are in demand in the energy, defence, transport, and computing sectors.

Sunrise Energy owns one of the world’s largest undeveloped scandium mines, the Syerston Scandium Project, in central-west NSW.

Scandium has many uses in the modern, high-tech world.

For example, it is 3D-printed into a high-performance alloy for aerospace components.

Scandium is also in the 5G/6G semiconductors in mobile phones and communications infrastructure.

Sunrise says the project “will bring a new source of low cost, scalable and reliable supply to western markets”.

The company forecasts production of 64,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of ore to produce 60tpa of high purity scandium oxide per year.

Sunrise Energy Metals says:

This positions the Company to capture significant market share in a rapidly growing global market (currently estimated at 50-60tpa), driven by solid oxide fuel cell deployments for AI data centre power generation, defense and aerospace applications and next-generation chips/semiconductors.

Syerston has a forecast life-of-mine average cash operating cost of US$534 per kilogram of high purity scandium oxide.

This would make Syerston one of the world’s lowest-cost producers.

Today, Sunrise announced an accelerated expansion study to lift its forecast annual output to 180tpa.

The company also has the Sunrise Nickel-Cobalt Project, one of the world’s largest nickel-cobalt resources, also in central-west NSW.

Nickel and cobalt are essential ingredients in EV battery cathodes.

They are also used in high-performance alloys for aerospace, defence, and other advanced manufacturing applications.

Among the tailwinds for Sunrise Energy Metals shares in FY26 were positive updates from the company and export controls introduced by China, which forced buyers to shift focus to alternative suppliers.

4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX)

This ASX 300 healthcare share skyrocketed 1,786% in FY26 to close out the year at $4.53.

The highlight of FY26 for this respiratory imaging technology company was gaining US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its CT:VQ product in September 2025. 

CT:VQ is the world’s first non‑contrast post‑processing technology that transforms routine chest CTs into quantitative, lobar ventilation (V) and perfusion (Q) maps.

Since approval, the company has deployed its technology at several well-known academic hospitals and clinics.

They include the US Mayo Clinic, Stanford, Cleveland Clinic, UC San Diego Health, and University of Chicago Medicine.

Minerals 260 Ltd (ASX: MI6)

Minerals 260 was the best performer of the market’s gold miners in FY26.

The Minerals 260 share price soared 508% to end FY26 at 73 cents per share. 

This ASX 300 mineral explorer is building the Bullabulling Gold Project in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.

Bullabulling is one of Australia’s largest near-term gold mines.

It has a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 130MT at 1.0g/t for 4.5Moz.  

Minerals 260 recently signed a $220 million funding deal with gold royalty company, Franco-Nevada Corporation, to advance and de-risk the project.

The post 3 ASX 300 shares that ripped 500% or more in FY26 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.

ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide an easy way to invest in international shares via our local exchange.

And Aussie investors love ’em.

There is now a record $372 billion invested across 458 ETFs on the market today, according to Betashares data.

Demonstrating their rising popularity, ASX ETFs attracted a net $30 billion of investment in the second half of FY26.

Back in 2024, $30 billion was the amount invested over the full year.

The industry is responding by introducing new products, with a record 72 new ETFs commencing trading in FY26.

This product expansion is allowing investors to direct more money into thematic trends.

Senior investment strategist, Marc Jocum from Global X commented (courtesy Australian Financial Review):

It’s been a record year for thematic ETF investing driven by the energy transition and AI, so the way Aussie investors are allocating is changing.

Historically, investors sought outperformance through active managers, but that is slowly changing as investors are now seeking outperformance through exposure selection instead – the past was ‘who’ to back, now it’s ‘what’ to back.

The Australian Securities Exchange has just released the full-year performance data for ASX ETFs in FY26.

The data reveals the six ASX ETFs holding international shares that delivered the best total returns last year.

Let’s take a look.

Top 6 international ETFs for total returns in FY26

The popularity of thematic investing is showcased in the top 6 ASX ETFs for total returns last financial year.

Total returns incorporate both share price gains and distributions (dividends).

1. iShares MSCI South Korea AUD ETF (ASX: IKO)

The IKO ETF delivered a spectacular one-year total return of 171%. The historical distribution yield is 4.6%.

This ASX ETF seeks to mirror the tech-heavy MSCI Korea 25/50 Index, providing exposure to Korea’s largest companies.

IKO ETF paid the biggest dollar-value dividend among iShares ETFs this season at $13.98 per unit.

IKO ETF is $246.58 per unit, up 2.7% on Thursday.

2. Global X Semiconductor ETF (ASX: SEMI)

The SEMI ETF produced a ripping one-year return of 161%. The historical distribution yield is 6.2%.

SEMI is linked to the massive artificial intelligence (AI) investment thematic.

Semiconductors control electrical currents in computer chips and everyday devices like smartphones.

SEMI ETF is $38.01 per unit, up 2.1% today.

3. Global X Hydrogen AUD ETF (ASX: HGEN)

The HGEN ETF returned 135% in FY26. The historical distribution yield is 0.7%.

HGEN invests in companies within the global hydrogen industry. Hydrogen is considered a powerful green energy source.

HGEN ETF is $9.89 per unit, up 0.5% today.

4. Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

The ASIA ETF delivered a one-year return of 96%. The historical distribution yield is 1.7%.

ASIA ETF invests in 50 of the largest technology and online retail shares in Asia (ex-Japan).

ASIA ETF is $20.39 per unit, up 1.7% today.

5. Betashares Energy Transition Metals ETF (ASX: XMET)

The XMET ETF delivered a one-year return of 83%. The historical distribution yield is 3.6%.

This ASX ETF invests in global metals producers specifically involved in the green energy transition.

The metals in demand include copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, manganese, silver, and rare earths.

XMET ETF is $14.03 per unit, up 1.6%.

6. Global X S&P Biotech ETF (ASX: CURE)

The CURE ETF delivered a total annual return of 81%. This ETF does not pay distributions.

CURE ETF invests in genomic science companies.

They include businesses involved in gene editing, genomic sequencing, and genetic medicine and therapy.

CURE ETF is $73.83 per unit, down 1% today.

The post 6 best international ASX ETFs of FY26 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 3 super ASX ETFs to buy and hold until 2046
• The ASX ETF market is set for a record year – Here are the best performers so far in 2026
• Why it’s vital for investors to look to international shares for growth: Expert 
• Own ACDC, FANG, or SEMI ETF? Global X is paying your dividend today!
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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.