Many happy returns? The best and worst stocks of 2013

A year that was proclaimed as the great rotation into equities turned out to be more of a gradual shift, but stock markets certainly enjoyed the better of the returns.

Although UK markets have retreated a little from recent highs as investors fret over the impact of tapering in the US, indices have still made double-digit returns, while smaller companies delivered much more.

But which stocks have soared higher than competitors? Among the blue chips, the winners this year have been the airline operators, with both International Consolidated Airlines and easyJet topping the pile, more than doubling in value.

Range-bound fuel prices and tight controls over flight capacity have helped airlines globally, and the UK companies have been no different, with revenues and profits both climbing.

Widely tipped to be a winner thanks to the upheaval in the UK's financial services landscape, Hargreaves Lansdown has not disappointed this year, with shares up 98% year to date.

The huge jump in price is unsurprising following record revenues and profits as investors priced out of advice turned towards self-investing.

Financials struggle to make it into the top ten, but Lloyds bucks the trend after the government's stake-reduction plan paid off.

Improving profits and a well-received sale of 6% of the shares by UK Financial Investments have all contributed, and helped it outstrip struggling competitor Royal Bank of Scotland, which has gained just 1.5% year to date.

On the downside, the FTSE 100's contingent of mining stocks have endured an annus horribilis in 2013, as weak commodity prices and slowing growth in China all impacted shares.

Operational problems at individual companies saw them struggle by differing degrees, but the biggest loser is gold and silver explorer Fresnillo, hammered by a steep decline in precious metals prices in 2013.

While miners dominate the fallers in the FTSE 100, financials also appear, with a recent profits warning at Standard Chartered ensuring its place among the worst performing stocks of the year.

Below is the full list of the FTSE 100's best and worst stocks of 2013 (all data to 19 December 2013, according to Morningstar).

 

Name	Total % Return
International Consolidated Airlines Group	110.61
easyJet	101.37
Hargreaves Lansdown	97.59
Sports Direct International	88.23
ITV	82.51
Travis Perkins	65.35
BT Group	65.12
GKN	63.20
Lloyds Banking Group	61.74
Vodafone Group	58.04
BHP Billiton	-11.84
Standard Chartered	-12.33
RSA Insurance Group	-22.97
Vedanta Resources	-26.98
Petrofac	-27.14
Anglo American	-29.34
Tullow Oil	-32.47
Antofagasta	-34.73
Randgold Resources	-35.41
Fresnillo	-59.77

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