The UK shares that have bucked the trend and risen in value during the sell-off

A very small number of shares, 14 in total, are in positive territory.

The UK market has not been immune from the coronavirus fears dragging down equity markets over the past week or so. While there has been a slight bounce back following the intervention of central banks, the FTSE 350 is still 8% down from the start of the coronavirus-induced volatility.

However, the news weighing on the share price of some companies can also be interpreted as positive for others. For some companies, coronavirus does not present the risk of a “demand shock”, but instead a potential boost in demand.

A very small number of shares, 14 in total, are in positive territory. The best performer on the FTSE 350 between 21 February and 4 March as been online trading platform Plus 500, with a price return of 16%. Fellow trading platform IG Group is also up 4.7% over the same period. Market volatility is generally good for trading platforms as more buying and selling means more profit.

As Laura Suter, personal finance analyst at AJ Bell notes: “The more trades, the more commission and financing fees earned by Plus 500.

“The company has confirmed that it’s set to benefit, mentioning it was seeing better trading activity at its half-year results on 12 February and on 28 February confirmed a significant increase in customer trading activity.”

Also seeing an increase in demand are companies that provide hygiene and cleaning products, as both businesses and consumers load up on supplies. For example, business supplier Bunzl is up 2% over the period. Suter notes: “Among the products it supplies are hygiene and medical items, including masks and gloves, which have been in high demand since the virus outbreak.”

Similarly, Rentokil Initial has seen positive performance, with its share price up 2.8%. While mostly known for its pest control business, the company also supplies hand washing and hand sanitising services.

Supermarkets have also seen gains on the back of expectation that consumers will start panic buying and stockpiling food and cleaning supplies. Added to that, there is an expectation that less people will be going out to eat, further adding to supermarket demand. As a result, Sainsbury’s has risen by 1% and Ocado 1.5%. Suter adds: With Ocado there may also be an expectation they could see a pick-up in online orders if people avoid physically going to the shops.”

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