Aug 11, 2026 · 7 min
European defense stocks gain as companies navigate mixed results
IHG Slips, Rheinmetall, Alcon Advances
The episode connects company-specific earnings with broader forces shaping European markets, from US demand and defense spending to tariffs.
- 1IHG slightly missed operating-profit expectations but benefited from strong performance in the US market.
- 2Analyst optimism around rising European defense spending supports Rheinmetall and other sector stocks.
- 3Alcon raised guidance after solid second-quarter results and an expected refund of US tariffs.
Don't miss
Alcon boosts its guidance after solid second-quarter results and an expected US tariff refund.
The brief
Stephen Carroll and Lizzie Burden speak with Bloomberg reporter Chloe Melley about a European market session shaped by contrasting company results and shifting expectations across sectors.
InterContinental Hotels Group slightly missed on operating profit, but strong US performance offered a counterpoint and showed why regional demand matters when investors assess the hotel group.
European defense stocks, including Rheinmetall, Leonardo, and Thales, drew support after RBC and Barclays pointed to growth in defense spending.
Swiss eye-care company Alcon reported solid second-quarter results and boosted guidance, helped by expectations of a refund tied to US tariffs.
Together, the moves show how earnings, analyst views, regional demand, and trade policy can pull European stocks in different directions on the same day.
What was said on this episode
3 statements · 2 positive · 1 negative
IHG shares are slightly down after missing operating-profit expectations.
“IHG is down actually slightly this morning because of a small miss on the operating profit metric.”
Listen at 1:08
IHG expects Asia to become an important growth driver as wealth increases in India and China.
“that means more international travel in those places as well. And so that's going to be an area where the, where the company is really looking forward to in the next few quarters, next few years as well.”
Listen at 2:37
Alcon raised its financial guidance after solid second-quarter results.
“it also boosted its guidance this morning.”
Listen at 4:20
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
Featuring
Defense spending
BarclaysListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.