Analyze the sentiment of this statement extracted from a financial news article. Provide your answer as either negative, positive, or neutral.
Text: According to the company , its operating profit , excluding non-recurring items , in the fourth quarter of 2009 was significantly better than expected , and also better than the figures for the fourth quarter of 2008 .
Answer:
Analyze the sentiment of this statement extracted from a financial news article. Provide your answer as either negative, positive, or neutral.
Text: According to the company , its operating profit , excluding non-recurring items , in the fourth quarter of 2009 was significantly better than expected , and also better than the figures for the fourth quarter of 2008 .
Answer:+positive