2018 will end with more frowns than smiles among global equity investors.

Only 566 stocks on the ASX are higher than they were on January 1. But 56 stocks have at least doubled since the start of the year, finishing 100 per cent higher or more.

The biggest winner of 2018 was Bidenergy (ASX:BID), which currently sits at $1.05 after starting the year at just 6c — a 1784 per cent gain.

The company offers an online service that assists clients with keeping power prices low, by monitoring their bills and market rates, informing them of better deals. Since its launch in August, its shares have skyrocketed.

In second place is City Chic Collective (ASX:CCX), which was until November 27 known as Specialist Fashion Group (ASX:SFH).

Although the women’s fashion retailer is well off its high of $1.40 (reached in early October), it has made a remarkable turnaround, paying all of its debt, and divesting all of its brands except its City Chic Business.

In third place is business software Cape Range (ASX:CAG), which skyrocketed in July before being suspended for six weeks while the ASX investigated trading which occurred after it announced progress on its software rollout.

Since resumption, shares were highly volatile but by December 19 settled at $1.62 — 620 per cent higher than its January 1 price.

Here’s the big winners in 2018:

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ASX Code Company Market Cap Price Intra-day Dec 19 Price Jan 1 Return Since Jan 1
BID BIDENERGY $114.3m 1.06 0.0612 16.3203
CCX* CITY CHIC COLLECTIVE $211.1m 1.05 0.135 6.7777
CAG CAPE RANGE $142.6m 1.62 0.225 6.2
MWR MGM WIRELESS $46.6m 3.85 0.645 4.968992
AB1 ANIMOCA BRANDS CORP $68.3m 0.098 0.017 4.7647
PAR PARADIGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS $185.0m 1.37 0.28 4.339286
BIT BIOTRON $68.4m 0.12 0.0263 3.561498
IVX INVION $98.9m 0.018 0.0039 3.558612
PO3 PURIFLOH $120.8m 3.65 0.805 3.53416
GLV GLOBAL VANADIUM $9.98m 0.004 0.001 3
PDN PALADIN ENERGY $323.2m 0.18 0.047 2.82979
GLL GALILEE ENERGY $119.6m 0.52 0.14 2.7143
BD1 BARD1 LIFE SCIENCES $15.7m 0.025 0.0068 2.6765
GCR GOLDEN CROSS RESOURCES LTD $5.5m 0.054 0.015 2.6
FOD THE FOOD REVOLUTION GROUP $72.3m 0.14 0.039 2.589744
CVN CARNARVON PETROLEUM $387.1m 0.32 0.098 2.2653
MDX MINDAX $10.8m 0.013 0.004 2.25
JMS JUPITER MINES $28.9m 0.26 0.081 2.20988
VAN VANGO MINING $98.3m 0.17 0.055 2.09
ACF ACROW FORMWORK AND CONSTRUCT $86.1m 0.48 0.16 2
GLN GALAN LITHIUM $23.2m 0.22 0.075 1.9333
RHT RESONANCE HEALTH $30.6m 0.067 0.024 1.916667
PPK PPK GROUP $42.7m 0.61 0.21 1.90476
EXO ENNOX GROUP $7.07m 0.004 0.0014 1.857143
MCA MURRAY COD AUSTRALIA $80.6m 0.2 0.074 1.77027
AMI AURELIA METALS $637.9m 0.72 0.265 1.716981
NEA NEARMAP $718.0m 1.6 0.595 1.68907
ATT ANTE REAL ESTATE TRUST $1.8m 0.008 0.003 1.666667
IPB IPB PETROLEUM $5.6m 0.029 0.011 1.63635
FTZ FERTOZ $25.6m 0.2 0.076 1.631579
TER TERRACOM LTD $230.0m 0.61 0.24 1.54166
GAS STATE GAS $125.4m 0.9 0.36 1.5
IGE INTEGRATED GREEN ENERGY SOLUTIONS $117.4n 0.31 0.125 1.48
GSS GENETIC SIGNATURES $87.4m 0.78 0.325 1.4
VRX VRX SILICA $45.6m 0.125 0.053 1.358491
ADY ADMIRALTY RESOURCES $18.5m 0.016 0.007 1.285714
TPW TEMPLE & WEBSTER GROUP $112.6m 1 0.44 1.272727
EGY ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES $3.13m 0.009 0.004 1.25
TGN TUNGSTEN MINING $211.4m 0.28 0.125 1.24
SVA SIMAVITA $12.11m 0.029 0.013 1.230769
CUV CLINUVEL PHARMACEUTICALS $865m 17.84 8.19 1.1783
BVS BRAVURA SOLUTIONS $818.4m 3.74 1.73 1.1618
JIN JUMBO INTERACTIVE $470.6m 7.56 3.5 1.16
IOD IODM $7.9m 0.017 0.008 1.125
RSH RESPIRI $44.0m 0.093 0.044 1.113636
HE8 HELIOS ENERGY $213.0m 0.15 0.072 1.083334
LBL LASERBOND $33.0m 0.3 0.15 1.081475
SRH SAFEROADS HOLDINGS $10.9m 0.3 0.145 1.068966
KRR KING RIVER RESOURCES $39.6m 0.031 0.015 1.066667
KIS KING ISLAND SCHEELITE $20.9m 0.08 0.0394 1.031746
APT AFTERPAY TOUCH GROUP $3.0b 12.1 5.97 1.0268
IAB INABOX GROUP $16.7m 0.7 0.49 1.020408
AKM ASPIRE MINING $66.5m 0.02 0.01 1
IEC INTRA ENERGY CORP $3.9m 0.012 0.006 1
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*Until late November City Chic’s code was SFH.

However, for the owners of around 50 ASX small caps, 2018 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, with their shares plunging by more than 85 per cent.

The three biggest losers in 2018 were Big Star Energy (ASX:BNL), Quantum Graphite (ASX:QGL) and Celamin Holdings (ASX:CNL).

All of these were recapitalised mining companies that had been suspended for years and quickly lost their value upon resumption of trading.

All three companies are still looking to proceed with their projects.

Big Star Energy is exploring for oil in Texas, Quantum wants to increase production at its Uley graphite project in South Australia to “sustainable” levels and Celamin is working on its phosphate projects in Tunisia.

However, others on the list were trading as normal at the start of 2018 but terrible news led to the share prices collapsing.

The biggest such collapse (and 4th biggest loser) was Factor Therapeutics (ASX:FTT).

Factor Therapeutics was a biotech hinging on the results of a clinical trial. Unfortunately for shareholders, the trial failed spectacularly and the stock’s value was effectively wiped out the second the market opened.

Here’s the ones that weren’t as lucky this year:

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ASX Code Company Market Cap Price Intra-day Dec 19 Price Jan 1 Return Since Jan 1
BNL BIG STAR ENERGY $3.0m 0.009 7.5 -99.88
QGL QUANTUM GRAPHITE $15.0m 0.002 0.115 -98.2609
CNL CELAMIN HOLDINGS $3.6m 0.028 1 -97.2
FTT FACTOR THERAPEUTICS $2.5m 0.002 0.0506 -96.0439
ORM ORION METALS $1.8m 0.004 0.097 -95.8763
FIG FREEDOM INSURANCE GROUP $5.3m 0.02 0.475 -95.79
AXP AIRXPANDERS $14.5m 0.027 0.603 -95.5222
CHP CHAPMANS $1.4m 0.005 0.11 -95.4545
RDN RAIDEN RESOURCES $3.7m 0.007 0.15 -95.33
LSA LACHLAN STAR $5.3m 0.006 0.12 -95
BLA BLUE SKY ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS $64.9m 0.77 14.54 -94.5323
TKF TIKFORCE $223k 0.001 0.0176 -94.332
INP INCENTIAPAY $5.7m 0.025 0.4182 -94.02
PNN PEPINNINI LITHIUM $3.4m 0.005 0.082 -93.9024
MEB MEDIBIO $5.3m 0.02 0.3225 -93.8
CCA CHANGE FINANCIAL $5.6m 0.062 0.825 -92.48
MNC METMINCO $2.5m 0.002 0.0256 -92.1769
ONX ORMINEX $110m 0.205 2.6 -92.1154
WML WOOMERA MINING $9.1m 0.081 1 -91.9
MRD MOUNT RIDLEY MINES $2.04m 0.001 0.0114 -91.2088
WCN WHITE CLIFF MINERALS $3.0m 0.013 0.1451 -91.0386
OOK OOKAMI $3.6m 0.013 0.14 -90.71
AL8 ALDERAN RESOURCES $18.8m 0.14 1.5 -90.66
ESE ESENSE-LAB $5.2m 0.029 0.3 -90.33
GSW GETSWIFT $75.4m 0.37 3.7 -90
IOT IOT GROUP $1.8m 0.001 0.01 -90
QTG Q TECHNOLOGY GROUP $185k 0.004 0.04 -90
WGL WANGLE TECHNOLOGIES $4.2m 0.001 0.0096 -89.5833
PG1 PEARL GLOBAL $25.4m 0.175 1.6773 -89.5665
OXX OCTANEX $2.5m 0.009 0.085 -89.4118
MTC METALSTECH $3.5m 0.03 0.275 -89.0909
RLC REEDY LAGOON CORP $2.4m 0.006 0.054 -88.8889
CCE CARNEGIE CLEAN ENERGY $14.4m 0.0045 0.039 -88.4615
AWV ANOVA METALS $5.8m 0.009 0.077 -88.3117
WMC WONHE MULTIMEDIA COMMERCE $3.0m 0.02 0.165 -87.8788
EN1 ENGAGE:BDR $8.7m 0.028 0.23 -87.8261
MTH MITHRIL RESOURCES $1.6m 0.006 0.0462 -87.0164
RFN REFFIND $3.1m 0.006 0.046 -86.9565
KLH KALIA $5.1m 0.002 0.015 -86.6667
RFG RETAIL FOOD GROUP $59m 0.33 2.47 -86.6397
QFY QUANTIFY TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS $5.9m 0.007 0.0522 -86.5927
DNA DONACO INTL $36.2m 0.049 0.36 -86.39
LHB LIONHUB GROUP $8.3m 0.01 0.073 -86.3014
CIO CONNECTED IO $5.2m 0.003 0.0213 -85.9375
MTL MANALTO $3.6m 0.001 0.007 -85.7143
TBH THE BETMAKERS $13.4m 0.053 0.3839 -85.4122
DCC DIGITALX $25.5m 0.052 0.35 -85.1429
CLI CROPLOGIC $2.0m 0.015 0.094 -84.04
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