Top 10 stocks of 2015 so far for spread betters mid-September update

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 September.

Carnival, Bellway 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. Weir Group PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 1902
September 18th 2015 – 1233
Point Movement – -669
It’s been a year of oh dears instead of cheers for Weir Group; after opening 2015 at 1902p the mining, oil and gas-focused engineering company has been a peripheral causality of the ongoing commodity crunch. For the first half of the year Weir was largely moving laterally; however, the June announcement of a 34% drop in orders for its oil and gas division put the company on a firm downward path, leading not only to a September 18th price of 1233p, but demotion from the FTSE 100. That leaves Weir Group with a -669 point movement; great if you had shorted (i.e. sold) the stock at the start of the year, but a potential loss-maker if you had been a buyer.

9. Rio Tinto PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 3010.5
September 18th 2015 – 2289.5
Point Movement – -721
If Weir Group was at the peripheries of the commodity collapse in 2015, then Rio Tinto’s position on this list effectively represents the sector as a whole. After opening the year at 3010.5p by September 18th the mining giant had fallen all the way to 2289.5; that’s a -721 point movement, with the spluttering economic slowdown in China (and the chaos this caused in August) the latest culprit for the heavy losses suffered by both oil and mining stocks alike.

8. Next PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 6797.5
September 18th 2015 – 7565
Point Movement – 767.5
Next hasn’t been the beneficiary of any sector-boosts or takeover talk this year; instead its growth has been predicated on the old-fashioned method of producing impressive earnings reports, its most recent showing a 7% rise in half year pre-tax profits to £347 million, alongside a 2.7% jump in group sales. This helped Next continue a positive run has only been interrupted a few times this year, and after opening the year at 6797.5p and closing September 18th at 7565p, sits with a 767.5 points movement across the first 9 months of 2015.

7. Ted Baker PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 2192.1
September 18th 2015 – 3054
Point Movement – 861.9
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 3054p by the middle of September – that’s an 861.9 point movement.

6. Johnson Matthey PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 3407.5
September 18th 2015 – 2540
Point Movement – -867.5
The biggest negative mover of the year, Johnson Matthey (a sustainably technologies company) has fallen by 867.5 points in 2015 so far, opening the year at 3407.5p before closing September 18th at 2540p. The stock actually hadn’t strayed too far away from the 3300p to 3400p mark for the first half of the year, before the announcement of a sharp increase in debt in June spooked investors and put Johnson Matthey on the path to its precipitous decline.

5. Aveva Group PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 1291
September 18th 2015 – 2181
Point Movement – 890
Whilst multinational IT company Aveva had an impressive start to the year, rising from 1291p to 2029.5p towards the end of May, it had begun to tumble across June and the first half of July, leaving it back at around 1750p. However, in a 2015-defining moment for the company, news that Schneider Electric had bought Aveva in a reverse takeover, including a £550 million payment, caused the stock to surge over 25%. By September 18th, despite trickling slightly lower, the stock was still basking in the post-takeover glow to trade at 2181p, leaving Aveva with an 890 point movement since the start of the year!

4. The Berkeley Group Holdings PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 2456.5
September 18th 2015 – 3413.5
Point Movement – 957
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. Add onto this a 42% increase in full year pre-tax profit and Berkeley has grown from 2456.5p to 3413.5p, leaving it with a 957 point movement. Not only that, but the company took Weir Group’s place in the FTSE 100 in the latest index shuffle!

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.

3. DCC PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 3586.5
September 18th 2015 – 4818.5
Point Movement – 1232
You may not have heard of it, but DCC, an Irish ‘diversified investments group and holding company’, has for much of the year posted growth that would have certainly placed it in the upper echelons of this list, but a way off a top 3 finish. 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. And whilst DCC may have fallen away from its 2015 peak of 5307.5p on May 28th, its 4818.5p price on September 18th still leaves it with an impressive 1232 points growth in 2015.

2. Rightmove PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 2214
September 18th 2015 – 3751.5
Point Movement – 1537.5
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.

A strong half year report at the end of July, with an 18% increase in underlying operating profit and a £13 million rise in revenue year-on-year to £93.1 million then ensured the stock’s super 2015 continued. This means Rightmove has gone from 2214p on January 2nd to 3751.5p on September 18th, i.e. a point movement of 1537.5.

1. Betfair Group PLC
January 2nd 2015 – 1555
September 18th 2015 – 3209
Point Movement – 1654
Drum roll please. The biggest mover on the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 so far this year has been…Betfair Group PLC! A strong start to the year has only continued in the third quarter, with some sector-changing news wooing even more investors to the stock. 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.

Then, news at the end of August that Betfair and Paddy Power are set to merge in a £5 billion deal provided the catalyst for another Herculean surge, culminating in a 3209p price by the middle of September. Remove its starting price of 1555p, and Betfair had moved by a whopping 1654 points, making it the top stock for spread betters so far this year!