ASX 200 stocks with the best performance: Return, momentum, risk-vs-reward – Week 46

Welcome to ASX 200 Data Insights: Performance. At Market Index we continuously maintain an extensive database of critical financial and performance data for the Australian share market. You can find much of this data in the dedicated pages in “Stock Scans” and “Popular Pages” in the main menu above, or in our Data Insights category.

In this edition of Data Insights, we aim to bring you a summary of some of the most interesting performance data we’ve collected for the stocks listed in the S&P/ASX 200. The main criteria of focus are:

KEY DATA – RETURN-BASED METRICS

• 1-week Share Price Performance %
• 1-month Share Price Performance %
• 1-year Share Price Performance %

KEY DATA – MOMENTUM-BASED METRICS

• Share Price Performance: Furthest from 12-month low % (“Strongest”)
• Share Price Performance: Furthest from 12-month high % (“Weakest”)

KEY DATA – REWARD-VS-RISK-BASED METRICS

• 1-yr Sortino Ratio: Best
• 1-yr Sortino Ratio: Worst

Don’t worry if all these datapoints seem like a different language! For each category, we’ll provide an explanation of what it does, its importance, and how to practically use it to compare stocks across the ASX 200. If a stock is highlighted in green, it means it is a new entrant to a particular list. All of our data is accurate at the time of publication, and is based on the close of trading on Thursday XX November.

KEY DATA – RETURN-BASED METRICS

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-week return

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-week return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

The best performing stocks over the last 5 trading days, a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong very short term positive momentum.

Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-week return

Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-week return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

The worst performing stocks over the last 5 trading days, a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong very short term negative momentum.

1-Week Return Observations 🧐

• Top 20 INS
  • LITHIUM! 🔋 Yes, it's been a long time in the wilderness for ASX lithium stocks, but those who rode the 2021-22 wave up, held all the way down (lithium minerals prices fell 90%, many stocks didn't fare much better!), are finally seeing some green shoots! Liontown Resources , IGO , Pilbara Minerals , and Mineral Resources , took up 4 of the top spots in the best weekly performance list. MIN’s news of a partial equity sale of its WA lithium assets and offtake agreement with POSCO no doubt helped the sector, but so too has rising lithium minerals prices.
  • Lynas Rare Earths and Iluka Resources were 2025’s ‘big new thing’ before lithium usurped them, but both pulled savagely in October. It was good to see a modest bounce this week.
  • Gold is also another sector that’s seen a massive rally – pullback – and rally this week. Perseus Mining , Evolution Mining , Bellevue Gold , Capricorn Metals , Regis Resources are new entrants this week, but kudos to Newmont Corp. and Vault Minerals who backed it up for a second week in a row 💪.
  • Flight Centre Travel Group , Monadelphous Group and Bega Cheese each prospered on well received trading updates.
  • Alcoa Corp. and Nickel Industries are interesting because they didn’t release news of any note – they just seem to be benefiting from a broad rotation into low P/E Ratio and cyclical stocks.
• Top 20 OUTS
  • The biggest outs have to be the big banks. They were enjoying a tidy resurgence of late, but poorly received trading updates from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia put pay to that.
• Bottom 20 INS
  • Banks! As per the above. But a diverse list here of largely “High P/E Ratio” stocks. It seem investor appetite for risk-on and the promise of future earnings growth is being replaced by a desire for “value”.
  • There are also a few poorly received trading updates / results releases in there (e.g., Life360 , Block , Graincorp and Aristocrat Leisure but if one had been paying attention to the charts, many of these were already in developing downtrends.
  • Droneshield gets a special mention for topping the list for a second week in a row… it’s demise from the best performing stock of 2025 at one point has been swift… and appears to be accelerating!

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-month return

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-month return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

The best performing stocks over the last month. Also included for your reference are the Top 20’s proximity to their 1-month high, e.g., “-2%” indicates the stock in question is currently 2% from its 1-month high (lower is generally considered better). This is a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong short-term momentum.

1-Month Return Observations 🧐

• INS
  • Lovely lithium, again! But base metals, iron ore and energy stock round out the Low P/E Ratio + cyclicals group of monthly winners.
• OUTS
  • Nick Scali , EVT , Ansell , Woolworths Group , The A2 Milk Company , and coal stocks Whitehaven Coal and Yancoal Australia .

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-year return

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 12-month return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

The best performing stocks over the last year. Also included for your reference are the Top 20’s proximity to their 1-year high, e.g., “-2%” indicates the stock in question is currently 2% from its 1-year high (lower is generally considered better). This is a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong medium-term momentum.

1-Year Return Observations

• INS
  • Gold stocks generally solidified their places in this list this week, with DRO dropping out of top spot for the first time since this series started!
• OUTS
  • Generally higher P/E Ratio here, 360 (P/E Ratio 189), Temple & Webster Group (P/E Ratio 222), Mesoblast (no P/E Ratio),

KEY DATA – MOMENTUM-BASED METRICS

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from 1-year low % ("Strongest")

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from rolling 1-year low % (Strongest). All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

More targeted than the previous 1-year return scan, it aims to highlight stocks that have staged the strongest recoveries from recent troughs and or those that have exhibited consistent momentum in the medium term. It signals investor confidence and assists in identifying market leaders and sectors that might be currently favoured by fund managers.

Strongest Observations

• INS
  • DRO remains in top spot here, but its lead is dwindling fast. Interestingly, it's to a stock that was arguable one of the worst in the ASX 200 not that long ago in MIN!
  • Gold and lithium stocks make up a good chunk of this list, with a few list Zip Co. (P/E Ratio 50, 2nd to 7th), 360 (3rd to 12th), Eagers Automotive (P/E Ratio 38, 5th to 9th) tumbling down it...
• OUTS
  • Again, is it the curse of high P/E Ratio? Codan (P/E Ratio 55) and Catapult Sports (no P/E Ratio) and Megaport (no P/E Ratio )?

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from 1-year high % ("Weakest")

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from 1-year high % (Weakest). All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

This scan highlights stocks trading furthest below their recent peaks, often reflecting weaker momentum, reduced investor conviction, or sector headwinds. It can help identify potential value opportunities if fundamentals remain intact, or conversely, warn of stocks and industries currently out of favour with fund managers.

Weakest Observations

• INS
  • Premier Investments , Ebos Group , and Pinnacle Investment Management – the losses on these keep mounting…
  • Domino’s Pizza deserves a special mention for working its way out of this list, dropping from second spot on 10 October to fourteenth this week (but it took talk of a takeover by private equity to do it!).
• OUTS
  • The escapees of this list didn't do anything special, they were simply replaced by even worse stocks!

KEY DATA – REWARD-VS-RISK-BASED METRICS

The Sortino Ratio is a powerful risk-reward metric. It compares excess returns to downside volatility, isolating harmful losses without penalising gains. Generally, a Sortino Ratio greater than 1.0 is considered acceptable as it signifies that the investment is generating returns above the minimum acceptable rate without taking on disproportionate downside risk. A higher Sortino Ratio is always preferred, as it signals stronger risk-adjusted performance and highlights investments delivering better returns per unit of downside risk taken.

So, rather than just pure performance (or underperformance) as per the previous lists, this is a far stronger and more relevant measure of which stocks have beaten and lagged the market on a risk-adjusted basis.

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-year Sortino Ratio: Best

Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-year Sortino Ratio: Best. All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

This scan highlights the best performing ASX stocks over the last 12-months from a return vs risk perspective – i.e., these are the stocks that delivered the greatest return with the least volatility below the minimum acceptable return ("MAR") of 6% p.a.

Best Reward vs Risk Observations

• INS
  • Gold stocks VAU, Westgold Resources , and Catalyst Metals moved into the Best list.
  • DRO plunged from second to second last! 💥 A2M, CDA and NCK and PRN each lost ground...
• OUTS
  • TPW, MP1, 360.

Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-year Sortino Ratio: Worst

Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-year rolling Sortino Ratio: Worst. All data as per close of trade Thursday 13 November.

This scan highlights the worst performing ASX stocks over the last 12-months from a return vs risk perspective – i.e., these are the stocks that delivered the least return with the greatest volatility below the minimum acceptable return ("MAR") of 6% p.a.

Worst Reward vs Risk Observations

• INS
  • Xero (P/E Ratio 91), Car Group (P/E Ratio 46), Guzman Y Gomez (P/E Ratio 176) and National Storage Reit (P/E Ratio 112).
  • The first three have been regulars in my ChartWatch ASX Scans"High Conviction" downtrends list 📉.
• OUTS
  • A few outs at the bottom of the list – again generally because other stuff just got worse!

Ultimately it boils down to this: If your portfolio resembles the "Best Sortino" list, then you've done a very good job of managing your money over the last 12-months. However, if your portfolio resembles the "Worst Sortino" list, then you may need to rethink your investing strategy! 😉