Week ahead: IHG and Antofagasta results due; US CPI in focus

7th Aug 2026 13:25

(Sharecast News) - Next week will see the release of results from the likes of InterContinental Hotels and Antofagasta, while on the macro front, the latest UK GDP figures will be eyed.

On Monday, quarterly results from aerospace manufacturer Rocket Lab are due in the US.

Tuesday will bring first-half results from Genuit and InterContinental Hotels and a trading update from housebuilder Bellway. Across the pond, quarterly results from Super Micro will be released.

As far as IHG is concerned, AJ Bell analysts Russ Mould and Danni Hewson said the travel and hospitality sector has been rocked by events in the Middle East this year which have pushed up costs and affected consumers' appetite and capacity to book holidays.

"This was reflected in the early weeks of the conflict in a weak showing for InterContinental Hotels shares," they said. "However, since then a series of reassuring updates have demonstrated the company's resilience. May's first-quarter update was as welcome and comforting as a fluffy, soft bathrobe hanging in a hotel room.

"There was an eye-catching turnaround for the Americas business as group bookings and corporate travel helped make up for a softer showing in leisure travel, and Chinese demand recovered. IHG's continued roll-out of new hotels, supported by a capital-light franchise model, was a sign of its confidence in the long-term outlook.

"In the first-half results, market attention will be focused on whether the Americas' momentum is being maintained, the extent of any World Cup boost in this region and if a first-quarter rebound in China, which has been a problem area for the group, was a one-off or part of a more positive trend.

"With debt costs creeping higher, investors will also be putting some scrutiny on borrowing levels and the extent to which they remain under control and will be keen to get management's latest take on the situation in the Middle East and whether it is clouding the outlook."

On Wednesday, infrastructure group Balfour Beatty will publish first-half numbers, while Cisco Systems is slated to report quarterly earnings in the US. On the macro front, the US consumer price index for July will be among the highlights.

Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said: "The market is expecting a small moderation in both headline and core US CPI for July. The headline rate is expected to come in at 3.4%; the core rate is expected to moderate a notch to 2.5%. The most notable thing about this data: both core and headline inflation remain above the Fed's 2% target rate, something the new Fed governor has said is unacceptable.

"Inflation data is arguably more important than payrolls right now, because of the laser focus on the Fed's 2% target. If we get a hotter than expected CPI report for July then we could see Fed rate hike expectations for September reverse course and march higher."

The UK corporate calendar will be a little busier on the Thursday, with full-year results from Rank Group and first-half results from Chilean copper miner Antofagasta, Ladbrokes owner Entain and Savills.

US results include Applied Materials and coach and Kate Spade owner Tapestry. On the macro calendar, investors will watch for the latest UK GDP, industrial production, manufacturing production, and trade balance figures, as well as eurozone industrial production data.

Aviva will put out its first-half numbers on Friday, while in the US, retail sales figures and the latest University of Michigan consumer sentiment index will be out.