The market isn’t waiting for your next press release - it’s moving on to the next company. In busy periods, attention resets quickly and visibility becomes an advantage. The businesses that stand out later are the ones that never stopped communicating in the first place.

The Olympics sell harmony. Valentine’s Day sells loyalty. The Markets are neither.

Right now, investors are going where prices make sense and the long-term edge looks real. Think selective matchmaking...read our take on the markets in this week's Thursday Pudding.

Sunday’s Super Bowl result - a decisive 29–13 win for the Seahawks over the Patriots - was a stark reminder that not all losses play out the same. Just as a team’s strategy is tested under pressure on the field, companies’ credibility is tested in how they communicate through tough quarters. What matters most isn’t the score itself, but the clarity and confidence with which you address it.

Markets are rattled. Emotions are frayed. And just in time, the Winter Olympics have arrived - delivering a much needed reminder that pressure, when mastered, can look like poetry.

The recent gold surge - and just as rapid pullback - was a reminder that markets can move far faster than fundamentals. For IR teams, those moments test discipline: do you amplify the excitement or re-anchor the story to what’s actually changed?

How you communicate during the run matters just as much as what you say on the way back down.

January opened with optimism and firm market expectations - but quickly reminded investors that clarity is rarely part of the deal. From renewed small-cap strength to shifting consumer behavior and a quieter confidence in European equities, this month was less about clear direction and more about reading between the lines.