I am sure that almost everyone is feeling more comfortable about the stock market today…except anyone who sold all their positions a day or two ago. Of course one day of positive performance means very little, but that is the markets for you. Nearly fifty percent of days will be up…and nearly fifty percent will be down and the real key – apart from finding some innovative and sensible corporate names – is to buy when others are fearful and sell when others are greedy. So I do hope you bought some more of a share or two you like late last week or early this week. As for today, I’ve been looking at latest corporate numbers and, like the complete sad sack I am, so far have racked up three corporate conference calls…

I have been a bit of a fanboy of Headlam Group (HEAD) – Europe’s leading floorcoverings distributor, providing the channel between suppliers and trade customers of floorcoverings – for a while now. So what did its ‘trading and ESG update’ say today?

Whilst later on today I am looking forward to a capital markets event from Breedon Group (BREE), the ‘leading vertically integrated construction materials group in Great Britain and Ireland’ – which talked of ‘full year result to be slightly above top end of current market expectations’ – for now I am looking at Britvic (BVIC).

Back in March I observed that I wanted to see the building products supplier and facilitator Breedon (BREE) attempt to cut the price of its deal to buy the UK assets of global behemoth Cemex. Since then the company pushed out some numbers where it may have given no guidance but it noted ‘there is significant pent-up demand to be satisfied in both housing and infrastructure, reinforced by the substantial programme of investment confirmed by the Chancellor’…and remained optimistic about the deal. Well get those calculators out again as today the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ‘raises competition concerns in the supply of building materials in some parts of the UK’…

I see Next (NXT) has only gone and done it again. As I observed three months ago, if you want a serious, thorough and grown-up view of how to think about the current range of very clear corporate challenges then I suggest you look at today’s regulatory news disclosure by the leading clothing retailer…

Another day, another bunch of COVID-19 updates. Naturally, we should expect nothing else. As discussed now multiple times on these pages, the key to maximise a company's chances of being a corporate survivor remains a combination of a prudent and smart management team with solid financing…

I have not been a fan of consumer staples giant Unilever (ULVR) for a while, including noting a month ago that 'there is better value in other parts of the market'. Well too right judging by today's trading update…

From my larger cap perspective, a slightly dull regulatory news disclosure crop for the first two days of the business week. I see the plumbing and heating systems company Ferguson (FERG) - whose decision to spin-out its small UK business I supported a few weeks back - puckered up its full-year results which showed between 6-8% growth at both the revenue and profit level, led by the US business (which accounts for around 90% of overall turnover). Despite this, a 10% rise in the full year dividend and comments observing it is 'well-placed' for 2020, at sixty quid a share I cannot get excited – even if it is doing the right thing with the UK business. Otherwise, I have to make a rare analytical foray into the AIM cesspit…

Lots of numbers and comments out today...

I see the housebuilders got another share price stuffing yesterday on fears that the Help to Buy policy (which I have lampooned on this website recently here) might come to an end. I see the updates today from Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Berkeley Group (BKG) have hardly reignited the shares despite all sorts of 'record results' comments from the former. Well when the average house price is around six times income (and a way higher multiple in London) then value there is not. However...