Financial Review 21/07/2015 – Top 10 FTSE 100 & FTSE 250 stocks for spread betters in 2015 so far

When it comes to financial spread betting, traders love volatility to try and turn a profit from buying or selling share price movements. But which are the top 10 moving stocks of the year so far for financial spread traders?

At Spreadex we have been analysing the biggest point-movers in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 in 2015 so far, from January to July.

Next, AstraZeneca and Greggs are among some of the bigger companies lying just outside the top 10 movers, so which firms make up the list? Read below to find out…

Remember financial spread betting losses can exceed your initial stake/deposit. It may not be suitable for everyone so please make sure you fully understand the risks involved.

10. Galliford Try PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 1269
July 10th 2015 – 1725.5
Point Movement – 456.5
A 2015 complete with a Tory election victory has seen a predictably good year for the housing and construction sector, and Galliford Try was no different. The company surged over February with a half year update in the middle of that month showing an 18% jump in revenue to £803.5 million, the main thrust of this impressive growth was a 20% surge in revenue in its housebuilding division Linden Homes. Opening the year at 1269p by July 10th it was trading at 1725.5p, just below its all-time high, leaving it with a 456.5 points movement.

9. SuperGroup PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 888.8
July 10th 2015 – 1345.5
Point Movement – 456.7
Narrowly beating out Galliford Try with a points movement of 456.7 (after opening the year at 888.8p before hitting 1345.5p on July 10th) is burgeoning clothing company SuperGroup. Impressive full year results was the latest catalyst for the stock’s rise, with the cherry on top being the announcement of a 10-year deal with Chinese retailer Trendy International Group, which allows the owner of SuperDry to finally extend its reach into the potentially lucrative Asian market.

8. Derwent London PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 3006
July 10th 2015 – 3541
Point Movement – 535
It has been a similarly good year for Derwent London, like Galliford Try one of a few big property movers this year. Board changes, analyst upgrades and a booming housing market (helped by the re-election of a Tory government) have all helped with Derwent’s gains. It opened 2015 at 3006p and on July 10th closed at 3541p, leaving it with a movement of 535 points.

7. Ted Baker PLC
January 2nd 2015– 2192.1
July 10th 2015 – 2944
Point Movement – 751.9
A disappointing 2014 has given way to a robust 2015 for Ted Baker. The recent opening of stores in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia due to increasing demand marked an entry into new, and lucrative, territory, whilst it is also slowly introducing its own homeware items. Strong sales increases, especially in the US, have contributed to the buzz around the company, and have seen it grow from 2192.1p at the start of 2015 to 2944p by the middle of July – that’s a 751.9 points movement.

6. Shire PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 4562.5
July 10th 2015 – 5397.5
Point Movement – 835
The pharma-giant Shire, third behind GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca in the UK, has spent much of the year regaining the losses it incurred back in October 2014 when its takeover by AbbVie collapsed. Yet regain them it has, climbing from 4562.5p to 5397.5p from the start of the year to July 10th.

This leaves Shire with an 835 point movement; however, there was more profit to be had for any traders who may have closed out on March 20th when Shire hit an intraday peak of 5804.75p, a price it has clearly fallen away from given its July position. The 2015 high point saw the stock record a maximum movement of 1,242.25 points based off its January open.

5. Berkeley Group Holdings PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 2456.5
July 10th 2015 – 3294.5
Point Movement – 838
It has been a great year for property developers, none more so than Berkeley Group Holdings. The strength of the housing market in London and the south east has been pointed to as the main reason for this growth in the past year, with the company also benefiting from a post-election swell following the Tory victory. This has seen Berkeley beat Shire to 5th place, growing from 2456.5p to 3294.5p and leaving it with an 838 point movement, boosted by a 42% increase in full year pre-tax profit.

Yet there were moments in 2015 that Berkeley looked like it could go the other way, namely at the very start of the year, and then at the beginning of May in the run up to the election. If we take January as an example, a starting price of 2456.5p had fallen to an intraday low of 2265p; that is a point movement of -191.5.

4. Clarkson PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 1886
July 10th 2015 – 2749.5
Point Movement – 863.5
After a flurry of recognisable names, Clarkson is perhaps one that doesn’t ring a bell. And whilst providing shipping services may not be glamorous, Clarkson managed to outstrip a lot of ‘bigger’ companies with its 2015 movement. A flat start to the year has given way to fairly consistent growth, aiding by spikes in middle of February, the end of March and the middle of May following a string of good results. This has caused the stock to move 863.5 points after starting the year at 1886p and hitting 2749.5p in the middle of July.

3. Betfair Group PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 1555
July 10th 2015 – 2456
Point Movement – 901
Betfair had moved by around 200 points by the start of March; however, a near 18% jump on March 5th, inspired by the company raising its full year forecasts, sparked the stock into life, and by July 10th it had reached 2456p. Remove its starting price of 1555p, and Betfair had moved by 901 points. However, like with Shire, there was a better moment to cash in on Betfair in the past 6 months. On June 2nd the company hit an intraday high of 2724.5p, leaving it with a maximum point movement of 1169.5 off its January open.

2. Rightmove PLC
January 2nd 2015 –2214
July 10th 2015 – 3260.5
Point Movement - 1046
Like Berkeley, Rightmove has been a beneficiary of both the strong housing market and the Conservative election win. The real estate portal has been consistent in its gains this year, and was more resilient than most in the run up to the election on May 8th. However, there was one key moment for Rightmove this year, and it came on February 27th. The announcement of a 20% increase in underlying profits alongside a 13% jump in average revenue per advertiser pushed the stock over 12% higher and set the foundation for its gains thereafter. This means Rightmove has gone from 2214p on January 2nd to 3260.5p on July 10th, i.e. a point movement of 1046.

1. DCC PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 3586.5
July 10th 2015 – 5095
Point Movement – 1508.5
Drum roll please. The biggest mover on the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 so far this year has been…DCC PLC! DCC is an Irish ‘diversified investments group and holding company’, and for much of the year posted growth that would have certainly placed it in the upper echelons of this list, but a way off the no. 1 spot. However, the announcement of strong full year results, a confident outlook for the next 12 months and the acquisition of Butagaz (and therefore an entrance to the French market) sent DCC jumping by nearly 13% on May 19th alone. These gains continued, and whilst DCC hit a peak of 5307.5p on May 28th, its July 10th price of 5095p following its 3585.5p 2015 opening position still leaves it as the biggest mover of 2015 with 1508.5 points.