Truworths is the first of the local retailers to report back on its sales for the period up to the Christmas - and they held up surprisingly well given the tough local conditions and the impact of lockdowns and Brexit uncertainty on its Office chain in the UK.

The group released a business update as the market closed on Friday so watch for the reaction this morning. Other retailers are also expected to release sales updates in the weeks ahead, while Stastics SA will publish retail trade sales data for November on Thursday. Meanwhile, EPP, the shopping centre owner previously called Echo Polska Properties, says the Polish government has extended a lockdown by two weeks until the end of the month, leaving about 30% of the floorspace at its malls operational.

Also in your newsletter today, Jubilee Metals says two blue-chip institutional investors have taken up 5 percent of its shares in a vote of confidence in its strategy. And the UK's Serious Fraud Office has dropped a bribery investigation into British American Tobacco in East Africa after it couldn't find enough evidence.

Finally, Ascendis Health has distanced itself from reports on social media that promoted a product within its Animal Health portfolio as a potential treatment for Covid-19.

I hope you have a good week.

Stephen Gunnion

Managing Editor, InceConnect

The latest from Ingham Analytics

In "2020 Redux?" top trader Andrew Kinsey offers valuable insights as we head into 2021 with this note looking at currency, commodity and fixed income markets. This follows on from an Ingham Analytics note on Tuesday entitled "Saxo's outrageous predictions for 2021 and our take" which provides insightful thinking on managing risk - good strategy embraces planning for different scenarios.