These were the 10 best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 in 2021

• The S&P 500 has returned 30% in 2021, helped by stellar corporate earnings and loose monetary policies.
• So far this year, the benchmark index has notched 69 record closing highs.
• Top performers include shale producers as oil prices rebounded sharply.
• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, 10 Things Before the Opening Bell

It has been a wild year for US stocks, which have been whipsawed by the meme frenzy, reopening rallies, supply-chain woes, and new coronavirus variants.

Still, the S&P 500 has notched 69 record closes for 2021 and returned around 30% year to date, thanks in part to stellar corporate earnings and loose monetary policies.

Some of the biggest gainers were shale producers, which have benefited as oil prices surged more than 50%.

Here are the top 10 best-performing S&P 500 stocks of the past year as of Tuesday's close, based on data by Koyfin.

10. Nucor
Ticker: NUE
Market Cap: $32.72 billion
YTD Performance: +118%

9. Moderna
Ticker: MRNA
Market Cap: $98.01 billion
YTD Performance: +130%

8. Bath & Body Works 
Ticker: BBWI
Market Cap: $17.77 billion
YTD Performance: +131%

7. Diamondback Energy
Ticker: FANG
Market Cap: $20.07 billion
YTD Performance: +132%

6. NVIDIA
Ticker: NVDA
Market Cap: $761.13 billion
YTD Performance: +132%

5. Ford Motor
Ticker: F
Market Cap: $82.93 billion
YTD Performance: +137%

4. Signature Bank
Ticker: SBNY
Market Cap: $19.69 billion
YTD Performance: +141%

3. Fortinet
Ticker: FTNT
Market Cap: $59.81 billion
YTD Performance: +146%

2. Marathon Oil
Ticker: MRO
Market Cap: $12.92 billion
YTD Performance: +150%

1. Devon Energy
Ticker: DVN
Market Cap: $30.22 billion
YTD Performance: +198%