Operating results release
Publication of physical business volumes ahead of the financial statements: output, units sold, freight carried, customer numbers.
How to read the number
Arrives before the accounts and frames expectations: revenue can often be approximated by putting volumes next to the prices of the period.
When the metric lies
Physical volumes do not convert into profit directly. Realised prices, discounts and unit costs move independently of how much was produced.
Also known as: operating update