The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) closed in the red after spending most of today in the green. The index ended Thursday's trade 0.07% lower at 6,642.6 points.
Only one of the market's sectors posted a notable gain today. The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Index (ASX: XFJ) lifted 1.4%.
It was driven higher by the big banks, which took off as brokers responded to Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ)'s financial year 2022 earnings, posted to the ASX yesterday.
The bank's net interest margin (NIM), in particular, seemingly piqued experts' interest. It lifted in the final quarter following rate hikes, as my Fool colleague Bronwyn reports.
Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 Real Estate Index (ASX: XRE) was the index's biggest weight, falling 1.9%.
The S&P/ASX 200 Energy Index (ASX: XEJ) also closed 0.9% lower after oil prices fell for a third consecutive day.
The Brent crude oil price slipped 2% to US$92.45 a barrel overnight while the US Nymex crude oil price fell 2.3% to US$87.27 a barrel.
All in all, two of the ASX 200's 11 sectors closed in the green on Thursday. But which share outperformed all others? Keep reading to find out.
Image source: Getty Images
Top 10 ASX 200 shares countdown
Today's top performing ASX 200 share was travel giant Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN). The airline's stock rocketed nearly 9% following news it expects to return to underlying profitability this half.
Today's biggest gains were made by these shares:
| ASX-listed company | Share price | Price change |
| Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) | $5.62 | 8.7% |
| Kelsian Group Ltd (ASX: KLS) | $4.74 | 6.28% |
| St Barbara Ltd (ASX: SBM) | $0.755 | 4.14% |
| Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) | $5.35 | 4.09% |
| West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF) | $1.06 | 3.92% |
| Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS) | $0.645 | 3.2% |
| Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) | $10.75 | 3.17% |
| De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG) | $1.005 | 3.08% |
| Imugene Ltd (ASX: IMU) | $0.17 | 3.03% |
| Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) | $23.07 | 2.95% |
Our top 10 shares countdown is a recurring end-of-day summary to let you know which companies were making big moves on the day. Check in at Fool.com.au after the weekday market closes to see which stocks make the countdown.
