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…

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).

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…

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…