Most investors will remember 2022 as being one of the toughest years for stock markets around the world in a long time. However, plenty of stocks have delivered positive returns.In this feature we look at the best performing London-listed stocks spread across four different parts of the market, covering small, medium and large sized companies.£5 billion+ market capIreland has been one of the...

London stocks nudge lower in early trade on Thursday as resources group are hit by profiteers and crude oil prices weaken again. Safe-haven gold is ahead. Wall Street closed up overnight while Asian markets are mixed and European Bourses also decline.The FTSE 100 index slides around 32 points, or 6,170.UK economic growth in the fourth quarter was unexpectedly revised higher by the Office for...

New iron ore shockIron ore prices have fallen below $47 per tonne, putting more pressure on iron ore mining equities. At current levels, we doubt most AIM-quoted juniors would be able to bring a project into production economically. The market remains in oversupply so we see further weakness until output is curbed. (DC)IQE's bright cash spotCompound wafer technology designer IQE (IQE:AIM) will...

Shareholders in volatile insurance services group Quindell (QPP:AIM) could get at least a 100p per share cash windfall if an asset sale is successful. Quindell jumps 11.4% to 153.4p after agreeing to sell its professional services arm to SGH for £637 million cash plus further money in the future subject to certain criteria. It says shareholders will share a large proportion of this money, up...

The stock market's smallest and riskiest companies have always held fascination for private investors. On the premise that 'elephants don't gallop, but fleas leap,' to borrow Jim Slater's often quoted phrase, it's easier for a tiny company to double its size, and investor's money, than for a big one. Let's face it, a blue chip company worth £1 billion will find it much harder to double or...

Investors were confronted by renewed volatility this autumn reflected in the performance of the UK's headline index. Nudging year highs above 6,900 in early September the FTSE 100 collapsed to less than 6,200 in mid-October as worries about global economic growth dominated the agenda before recovering to the 6,600 mark as sentiment improved.The good news is there are two main ways of profiting...

The fund management industry in general has a reputation for playing it safe. By second-guessing their rivals, sticking close to benchmark weightings and buying the biggest constituents of the UK stock market many money managers like to meld in to the crowd. This way, at the end of the year they will likely come out looking no worse, or no better than their peers and keep their jobs.Yet there...

Global stock markets are rallying and the UK is no exception. The FTSE All-Share hit a record high in October at 3,609. The FTSE 100 this May recorded its highest point in 13 years at 6,840 and got close to that summit in October. As such, many UK-quoted shares are reaching new peaks, leading market commentators to speculate we are witnessing a bubble which could soon burst. Investors need to...

A lack of oil exploration drilling in the Falklands until late next year could keep investors away from the listed contingent with exposure to the region, according to research house Edison.This includes: Argos Resources (ARG:AIM); Borders & Southern Petroleum (BOR:AIM); Desire Petroleum (DES:AIM); Falkland Oil & Gas (FOGL:AIM); and Rockhopper Exploration (RKH:AIM).The fortunes of their larger...

Wildcat exploration - prospecting for oil in far-flung parts of the world - is inherently risky but the rewards can be enormous. Ophir Energy (OPHR) has more than doubled in the last 12 months after a number of significant discoveries off the coast of East Africa.On the flip-side the failures can be equally spectacular. Ophir's African drilling peer Chariot Oil & Gas (CHAR:AIM) has lost 81% of...