Rare earth explorers, biotech companies and small-time lenders were the undiscovered stocks that made investors the richest in 2024, vying for investor attention in a year dominated by the big four banks trade.

The Australian Financial Review’s Fundie Q&A column featured 50 portfolio managers last year and while much of the sharemarket’s gains were powered by the ASX’s largest stocks, some more speculative ideas also proved capable of huge returns.