WORLDVIEW: Strong biltong flavour in FTSE’s top shares of 2016

By Alec Hogg.Warren Buffett warns us to be sceptical about time periods covered by performance tables. He points out the starting date can make a huge difference. My friend Piet Viljoen, another rational being whose views are among the most forthright of any money manager, reckons any performance table that doesn't account for a full cycle (5 to 8 years) is worthless..But even those disclaimers can't spoil our story. Because the timing of the last particular calendar year conspired to make 2016 an amazing one for most of the eight South African-related companies in the London stock market's top index..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.They delivered three of the FTSE 100's top four performers and four of its top 10. In a year when so much went wrong at home, that's surely worth celebrating..Here are the Saffer stocks:.Anglo American: Was the FTSE 100's number one performer for 2016 with an incredible 287% share price surge. Investors loved the plan to downsize. The 85 000 workers who will lose their jobs, mostly South African, won't feel quite as jubilant..Glencore: The second best performer with a 207% share price jump, the multinational took an SA knock after being strong-armed out of its Optimum coal mine by the Guptas. But elsewhere in the world things went much better..BHPBilliton: Like Anglo and Glencore, BHP benefitted from a share price that bottomed out in December 2015. It came 4th on the 2016 table with a 72% price improvement. Not really a "Saffer" though, as it hived off most SA assets into separately listed South 32 in 2014..Randgold Resources: Although it has no assets in the country, is an honourary Saffer via the management team, specifically CEO Mark Bristow, a geologist from Estcourt in KZN. The stock gained 48% in 2016 giving it a spot in the FTSE 100's Top Ten performing stocks (9th)..Mondi: The global forestry, pulp and paper group continues to quietly reward shareholders, delivering 25% in 2016. Johannesburg-based CEO David Hathorn is one of the most underrated of SA's corporate leaders. He's also married to my cousin, so I'm a little biased..British American Tobacco: After SAB was acquired by ABInbev, this stock lost its spot as the biggest market cap on the JSE. But shareholders won't worry as the Rupert-associated company returned 23% in 2016, ranking among the top quarter of the FTSE 100..Old Mutual Group: Fans of Big Green have been waiting for a rejuvenation for some years, and new CEO Bruce Hemphill's plans were good enough to lift the shares to a respectable 15.5% gain for 2016..Intu Properties: Was the sole Saffer loser in a year (down 11.6%) when the FTSE 100 was split 60:40 in favour of gainers. The successor to Donny Gordon's Liberty International was a casualty of Brexit, its shopping centres downgrading along with other UK-based assets..MediClinic: The rapidly expanding private hospitals group let the team down by coming in the bottom four of the entire FTSE 100 for 2016 losing 30%. Investors fretted that it may have overpaid for a couple of big acquisitions. But that makes it all the more attractive for value hunters..The full list of the FTSE 100 stocks' performances for 2016 (and market caps) below:.FTSE 100 STOCKDec 2015Dec 2016RiseMkt cap (£m)Anglo American299.51 159.8287.3%16 280.02Glencore90.5277.7206.9%39 657.51Fresnillo708.01 221.072.5%9 019.58BHP Billiton760.01 306.571.9%27 478.05Rio Tinto1 979.53 158.559.6%43 306.43Morrison Supermarkets148.2230.755.7%5 371.50Royal Dutch Shell B1 543.02 353.052.5%88 318.58Smiths Group939.51 413.050.4%5 579.28Randgold Resources4 143.06 145.048.3%6 012.91Royal Dutch Shell A1 526.02 242.547.0%99 495.323i Group481.6702.545.9%6 775.31Antofagasta469.3676.344.1%6 669.32BP354.0509.644.0%99 540.45CRH1 971.02 830.043.6%23 159.41Ashtead Group1 119.01 580.041.2%7 847.83Tesco149.5206.438.1%16 872.17RSA Insurance Group426.5584.337.0%5 907.18Micro Focus International1 595.02 171.536.1%4 959.66Wolseley3 691.04 962.034.4%12 532.60Experian1 201.01 574.031.1%14 893.61Compass Group1 175.01 501.027.7%24 331.23Intertek Group2 777.03 481.025.4%5 538.79Burberry Group1 195.01 494.025.0%6 542.83Mondi1 334.01 666.024.9%8 084.47British American Tobacco3 771.04 621.522.6%86 695.78HSBC Holdings536.2656.922.5%129 166.97Coca-Cola HBC1 448.01 770.022.2%6 288.48RELX1 197.01 449.021.1%15 695.04BAE Systems499.6591.518.4%18 895.59Standard Chartered563.7661.317.3%21 405.16Rolls-Royce Group575.0669.016.3%12 466.98WPP Group1 563.01 816.016.2%23 076.48Old Mutual Group178.9206.615.5%10 091.42InterContinental Hotels Group3 189.63 628.013.7%7 077.05Diageo1 856.52 110.013.7%52 864.69GlaxoSmithKline1 373.01 560.313.6%76 719.25Johnson Matthey2 813.33 182.013.1%6 150.49Informa604.5680.012.5%5 599.11Unilever2 926.53 287.512.3%42 219.40Bunzl1 885.02 109.011.9%7 003.63Pearson736.0818.511.2%6 729.07Admiral Group1 659.01 823.09.9%5 152.46Reckitt Benckiser Group6 281.06 892.09.7%48 019.60Smurfit Kappa Group*1 726.01 884.09.2%4 462.22Sage Group603.5655.08.5%7 112.10GKN308.4331.77.6%5 642.33Centrica218.1234.27.4%12 786.09DCC5 660.06 040.06.7%5 410.37Carnival3 866.04 125.06.7%8 893.92Kingfisher329.5350.36.3%7 790.42Prudential1 531.01 627.56.3%41 671.74Royal Mail444.0460.53.7%4 571.00Convatec Group*225.0232.93.5%4 585.96Severn Trent2 177.02 224.52.2%5 364.03Barclays218.9223.52.1%37 711.57SSE1 528.01 553.01.6%15 817.21National Grid937.5951.61.5%35 657.07Croda International3 150.63 196.01.4%4 176.30Smith & Nephew1 208.01 221.01.1%10 609.21Schroders2 976.02 995.00.6%6 737.73St James's Place1 008.01 014.00.6%5 295.79Shire4 698.04 672.3-0.5%41 887.39Imperial Brands3 586.53 542.5-1.2%34 024.65Merlin Entertainments455.5447.7-1.7%4 527.46Sainsbury258.8249.3-3.7%5 467.07United Utilities Group935.5901.0-3.7%6 188.14TUI AG1 211.01 163.0-4.0%6 703.98AstraZeneca4 616.54 428.8-4.1%56 003.83Hammerson Plc600.0573.0-4.5%4 465.65Standard Life389.7371.0-4.8%7 317.49Aviva516.0485.6-5.9%19 707.97Babcock International Group1 016.0953.0-6.2%4 780.42Legal & General Group267.8247.1-7.7%14 808.78Direct Line Insurance Group407.5369.4-9.3%5 049.00Land Securities Group1 177.01 066.0-9.4%8 294.74Vodafone Group221.0199.9-9.6%53 340.94Sky1 112.0991.0-10.9%17 001.08Paddy Power Betfair9 850.08 775.0-10.9%7 322.88Intu Properties317.3280.6-11.6%3 757.53Worldpay Group307.3269.9-12.2%5 350.00Persimmon2 027.01 771.0-12.6%5 384.51Whitbread4 401.03 772.5-14.3%6 841.08Lloyds Banking Group73.162.5-14.5%44 808.43Provident Financial3 367.02 838.0-15.7%4 141.67Hikma Pharmaceuticals2 301.01 897.5-17.5%4 455.96Associated British Foods3 342.02 736.5-18.1%21 612.71Hargreaves Lansdown1 506.01 213.0-19.5%5 762.97British Land Co786.0629.8-19.9%6 471.43London Stock Exchange Group2 744.02 194.0-20.0%10 001.25BT Group471.7366.9-22.2%36 938.52Marks & Spencer Group452.4350.0-22.6%5 704.40Taylor Wimpey203.1153.8-24.3%5 001.93ITV276.6206.4-25.4%8 211.84Royal Bank of Scotland Group302.0224.3-25.7%26 448.40Barratt Developments626.0463.4-26.0%4 669.80International Consolidated Airlines Group610.5440.6-27.8%9 400.03Dixons Carphone500.0354.6-29.1%4 021.72MediClinic International1 108.0771.0-30.4%5 698.90Next7 290.04 983.0-31.6%7 270.48easyJet1 740.01 005.0-42.2%3 980.03Capita Group1 208.0530.8-56.1%3 845.81

WORLDVIEW: Strong biltong flavour in FTSE’s top shares of 2016

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