We might have thought we'd seen it all after 2020 but it's been quite a year in 2021 too with an impressive rebound for the markets from the ravages of the pandemic.But which stocks have done best? Read on to discover the top performers up and down the market cap spectrum and find out why they've done so well. For the purposes of this article we've deliberately excluded investment trusts.£4 billi

Last week investors in oil and gas exploration plays 88 Energy (88E:AIM), Red Emperor Resources (RMP:AIM) and Pantheon Resources (PNR:AIM) were excited by the prospect of a big new discovery in Alaska.Seven days later and their hopes are in tatters as more detailed results from the Winx-1 well show it has definitively not made a commercial oil find. Pantheon dives 27.7% to 20.5p, 88 Energy falls 3

The FTSE 100 takes news of Sunday's nuclear test in North Korea in its stride, falling just 8.86 points to 7,429.64. However, the best performers on the index are precious metals miners Randgold Resources (RRS) and Fresnillo (FRES) as there is a small shift into traditional safe havens.Software product business Micro Focus (MCRO) slips 1.6% to £22.27 as it prepares to reveal the completion of its

Alaskan oil and gas play 88 Energy (88E:AIM) slumps 35.5% to 1.78p as it pauses operations for six weeks to support the recovery of fracking fluid from its Icewine-2 well.The firm says it has now recovered 16% of this total stimulation fluid, comprising 100% water. Therefore, it will shut the well in to allow pressure to build up, which the company says could displace in-situ water that may be blo

On a quiet day for both corporate and macro-economic news the FTSE 100 takes its cue from strong trading in Asia overnight to stand 0.5% higher at 7,458.97.FTSE 100 real estate investment trust Hammerson (HMSO) gains 1.4% to 596.5p as it emerges that the developer of Manchester's Trafford Centre, John Whittaker, has built a 4.6% stake in the company through his private vehicle Peel Holdings. The m

Harvester-to-O'Neill's owner Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) has enjoyed 4.7% like-for-like sales growth over the Christmas period, much to the surprise of many investors and analysts. The business has been struggling for years but solid trading in the four week period to 7 January could prompt the market to reassess negative views of the stock. Investors certainly like today's news as the shares rise 2

Shares in London open flat at 6,896 with miners making the early running ahead of a quiet day of trading with the US offline because of a Labour Day public holiday.A speech by Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda overnight is the main talking point going into today's session as the central bank chief talked up the potential for more unconventional monetary policy if the country fails to hit infl

London shares slide lower in early trade on Friday following falls on Wall Street overnight, mixed trading in Asia and a lower Europe. Tapering resources, utilities retail and commercial property saw the blue-chip index southbound as crude oil remained below yesterday's intra-day highs.News that Eurozone and Greek officials are to kick-start renewed debt talks adds the overall negative mood of inv

UK stocks on Thursday tracks gains in the US after minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting showed several policymakers argued against an interest rate hike in April. The FTSE 100 index rises 20 points, or about 0.3%, to 6,181.Miners BHP Billiton (BLT), Rio Tinto (RIO) and Anglo American (AAL) are among the stocks leading the FTSE 100 higher as commodity prices post broad-based ga

Woodford cuts costsNeil Woodford has stopped charging investors for the research costs of Woodford Equity Income (GB00BLRZQC88), a move which would have cut fees by 0.02% to 0.82% last year. The fund will also disclose transactional costs each month, such as the fees paid to execute trades, in an attempt to boost transparency. (EP)Iomart shoots for £100mManaged data centres and IT outsourcing bus

A rebound in resources stocks is helping to recover some of the previous session's losses with the FTSE 100 up 0.61% at 6128.73 this morning.Online second hand car marketplace Auto Trader (AUTO) is down 1.7% to 384.7p as directors and management sell shares following the expiry of their lock-up period post the company's IPO. Between them chief executive Trevor Mather and finance director Sean Glit

London stocks open on a mildly softer footing in early trade on Thursday with another mining rally failing to lift the UK market as investors continue to assess the impact of the UK Budget yesterday. A dovish US Federal Reserve maintained interest rates overnight.The FTSE 100 index drifts around 4 points lower, staying roughly flat at 6,171, while micaps and smaller companies also struggle to find

88 Energy in 633% rallyShares in Alaska-focused 88 Energy (88E:AIM) have increased by 633% in value to 2.66p since the start of February 2016 thanks to exploration success. 'Icewine#1 is in the predicted sweetspot where the volatile oil window meets the gas condensate window,' says managing director Dave Wall. (DC)Takeover battle for TangentA bidding war looks on the cards for media group Tangent

RSA Insurance (RSA) declines 1.9% to 422.9p following fears that it could receive significant claims on insurance policies following severe flooding in many parts of the UK. Initial estimates put losses at £900 million to £1.3 billion but this could top £1.5 billion if there is more heavy rain with insurers set to pick up about two-thirds of the cost.Alaska-focused oil and gas group 88Energy (8

UK shares begin the last week's run into Christmas on a firm footing, with miners a particularly strong feature thanks to firmer metals prices. The FTSE 100 index rallies 55 points, or about 0.9%, to 6,108, although gains for midcaps and smaller companies are less eye-catching. Wall Street fell overnight Friday while Asia remains mixed this morning, with Europe's main markets also mildly firmer.Mi

UK stocks are on the up in early trade on Monday after better-than-expected Chinese data on retail sales and industrial production over the weekend. Retail sales in the world's second largest economy jumped 11.2% in November, beating the 11.1% forecast and following a 11% rise in October.The benchmark FTSE 100 index rallies more than 40 points, or close to 0.7%, although just fails to break back o

London stocks are trading flat in early trade on Friday following fairly uninspiring sessions in the US and Asia and with remarks from central bankers filling some of the vacuum. The FTSE 100 barely moves, stuck at 6,330, while FTSE 250 midcaps and smaller companies are also similarly unmoved.In an otherwise quiet day for corporate news, Imperial Tobacco (IMT) gains 2.4% to £35.77, and is the FTS

Dubbed 'micro caps' by investors, the London stock market's smallest quoted company fry can be binary bets, as likely to 'turn turtle' as morph into a 'ten-bagger', the latter the holy grail of growth company investing. Yet despite their inherent risks, micro caps should form at least a portion of a well-diversified portfolio, since they offer potential for rapid-paced growth and abundant share pr

London shares continue to make modest gains in early trade on Wednesday with UK investors seemingly unconcerned about the outcome of a policy decision from the US Federal Reserve later today, despite some analysts warning of deflation risks. Even the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Composite Index finished higher overnight, rising by 3.4% to reach 3,789.19 points, offering slight hopes that the worst of

London shares post modest gains in early trade on Monday as investor's appetite for risk returns and a series of important corporate announcements. The benchmark FTSE 100 index rises around 20 points, or 0.3%, to 6,798, with similar gains registered across the FTSE 250 midcaps and FTSE All-Share indexes.Sporting goods retailer Sports Direct (SPD) heads the blue-chips leader board with a 2.5% gain