Investors' Chronicle

How to pick funds, Diageo & hotel stocks: Companies and Markets Show

Investors' Chronicle

Show Notes

As potential jet fuel shortages unnerve summer holidaymakers, airlines have been reporting shaky demand as people hold off from booking trips. But what of the hoteliers? In this week’s episode, we discuss the quarterly update from InterContinental Hotels (IHG), owner of Holiday Inn, as well as recent figures from Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB). Mark Robinson explains why the picture is brighter than many fear, and how long he expects that to continue.

We then talk through the latest figures from drinks giant Diageo (DGE), which has found life very hard for some time now. But with a dividend cut out the way, its CEO, former Tesco boss Sir Dave Lewis, is due to outline his new strategy this summer. Are things looking up? Or is it too soon to say for the Guinness maker – Mark has the answers. More on Diageo here

Finally, we tackle this week’s Big Read, asking the fundamental question for any investor – how to pick a fund. Val Cipriani explains our five-step guide, giving you a checklist of things to look for, mistakes to avoid, and more.

Read more here: Our five-step guide to picking the best funds Shares soar on (another) Taco feast InterContinental reports rising revenues, but travel concerns linger

Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:13 Hotels 14:09 Diageo 22:24 Fund selection

Listen to more podcasts from Investors’ Chronicle on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Investors' Chronicle

Oct 16, 2026

Third-quarter earnings season (Q3) is under way and it’s taking place amid some renewed wobbles for AI and chip stocks.

Oct 9, 2026

This week’s episode marks the publication of the first half of our annual Aim 100 special report – our review of the biggest companies trading on London’s junior market.

Oct 2, 2026

This week’s episode begins by looking into Labour’s new ‘Your First Home’ scheme, a replacement for the controversial Help to Buy programme. Announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, it is designed to give more people a chance of buying their first property. But what does it actually entail? And will it succeed, or will it just prop up the housing market and housebuilders like its predecessor? Hugh Moorhead discusses the potential beneficiaries.

Sep 29, 2026

Lord John Lee and Alex Newman are back on the mics to get into the nitty-gritty of small-cap stocks, looking at software provider Pebble Beach Systems (PEB).

Sep 25, 2026

This week’s episode kicks off with the latest batch of London-listed AI players. Up first are the IT resellers who are reaping the rewards of the boom; we discuss Computacenter and Softcat, the latter of which tapped investors for several hundred million pounds last week.

See all episodes →