Investors' Chronicle

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

With this in mind, this week’s show considers two companies that could be construed as defensive. First, we turn to emerging market-focused asset manager Ashmore – while not the most obvious port in a storm, its focus on debt rather than stocks means it offers resilience. Mark Robinson explains its recent trading update.

We then look at healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson, perhaps less of a defensive staple than it once was following the spin-off of its consumer division, but still a potential haven nonetheless. Julian Hofmann has the details and explores why, after a good year so far, its Q3 figures were not well received.

Julian also dives into this week’s Big Read: How to profit from profit warnings. He talks through recent trends, market reactions and what it all means for the wider economy.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:02 Ashmore

10:16 Profiting from profit warnings

23:14 Johnson & Johnson

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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.

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.

While Aim has had its share of issues in recent years, there are still plenty of stocks worth investors’ attention. The episode kicks off with one business that has had some problems of its own, including US budget cuts: equipment maker Judges Scientific. Julian Hofmann weighs up whether it can make a comeback.

We also dig into rare earths business Mkango Magnetic Materials, which combines exploration and recycling projects and has several global ventures to keep tabs on. Mark Robinson explains what’s going on with the company.

For those who are more risk-averse or looking to add a bit of balance to their holdings, we examine the state of play for wealth-preservation trusts: the trio of funds that often act as countercyclical portfolio picks. Holly McKechnie has the details on Ruffer, Personal Assets and Capital Gearing.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:11 Judges Scientific

10:59 'Safe' funds

20:06 Mkango Magnetic Materials

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.

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.

We then cast our ears to another bid for a UK-listed company: materials specialist RHI Magnesita’s attempt to acquire rival Vesuvius. Mike Fahy outlines what the takeover will look like and whether it’s likely to succeed.

We wrap up with our Big Read of the week on what history teaches us about investing. James Norrington explains why we need to look further than the recent past. From the 17th century to the pandemic, James discusses rising debt levels, trade wars and much more.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

01:05 'Your First Home' scheme

11:35 Bid for Vesuvius

22:07 Future-proofing portfolios

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.

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).

With a market capitalisation of £38mn, the company is a bright spot in Lord Lee’s portfolio and specialises in ‘playout’ automation and solutions for broadcasters and streamers.

The duo are in the studio with the Aim stock’s chief executive Peter Mayhead to discuss how Pebble benefits services both traditional broadcasters and increasingly streamers. They also explore the group’s competitive advantage, its balance sheet turnaround and a potential dividend.

Elsewhere, the podcast looks at tumultuous market conditions, what this means for Lord Lee’s portfolio and how he plans to ride out the volatility.

Time stamps

01:01 The markets

04:47 Inside Pebble Beach

20:22 Pebble’s turnaround

36:41 What’s behind the growth

42:42 Lord Lee’s portfolio updates

Let us know your thoughts, or if you have any questions or any suggestions for future guests, by emailing [email protected]

Listen to more podcasts from Investors’ Chronicle by clicking here or heading to 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.

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.

On the other side of the ledger, there has been a fresh sell-off for the likes of Rightmove after Meta released its AI agent, Muse. But the question is: have these ups and downs gone too far? Our technology reporter Arthur Sants discusses the prospects for resellers, Meta, and online marketplaces.

We then cast our ears to the burgeoning business of prize draws, be it high-profile ‘win your dream home’ competitions or all manner of niche prizes. Is this a new UK national obsession? Which companies are trying to muscle in on the sector? And what does all this say about our saving habits? Erin Withey has the answers.

The show wraps up with a look at our pensions special report: all you need to know about using a personal pension, how to invest it and how to plan the perfect retirement, in one helpful guide. Helen Kirrane explains when to use a pension versus an Isa and outlines some quirks to watch out for.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

1:09 AI winners

18:47 British prize draw boom

31:30 Planning your pension: Our special report

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.

The Bankers Investment Trust is a global stock market fund with around £1.5bn in assets.

It’s an exciting time for the trust as it says goodbye to longstanding manager Alex Crooke. Richard Clode, who joined as co-manager last year, is taking over.

Funds editor Val Cipriani sits down with Clode to discuss what the switch-up means for the portfolio and what being a quality investor means to him.

The duo also explores how Clode balances stockpicking with geopolitics, his attitude to risk management, and where he is finding new opportunities.

You can listen to the interview, alongside all of our other podcasts, on ACast, Apple, Spotify or 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.

This week’s episode looks at two companies making a series of deals and partnerships in a bid to buck the troubling trends in their respective sectors. 

We begin with consumer staples company McBride, whose shares have been buoyant in recent weeks as the cleaning products manufacturer, known for brands such as Oven Pride, expands its horizons. Mark Robinson is in the studio to discuss the details.

Hugh Moorhead then joins the conversation to look at the dealmaking plans at Supermarket Income Reit, seen by investors as a rare bright spot in the property sector at the moment. 

The show wraps up with an existential question that has been hitting headlines over the past week: Is AI going to destroy the world? Mark is back to give his view on whether the hype and hysteria have got out of hand.

Timestamps

00:00 Intro

00:52 McBride

12:24 Supermarket Income Reit

20:26 Has the AI hysteria got out of hand?

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.

Figuring out which funds to buy is overwhelming for even the most experienced investors – but as a beginner, it’s important to understand your options so you can make the right decisions. Funds editor Val Cipriani is in the studio with personal finance editor Holly McKechnie to break down the process. 

First, the duo explains what a fund is, the three main types, and why they are a good option to kick-start your investment journey. Val then dives into the difference between stocks and bonds, while also helping you to understand risk tolerance and how to figure out what kind of investor you are or want to be.

Before rounding off, Val gets into the nitty-gritty of portfolio-building best practices. From keeping it manageable to controlling your costs, Val and Holly have you covered. 

If you want to get started, you can check out our Top 50 funds here.

00:00 Intro

00:45 Why a fund is a good option for beginner investors

04:32 The different types of funds

13:30 How to build a portfolio and decide your asset allocation

17:36 Understanding active funds

Listen to episodes of Women & Wealth by clicking here or on ACast, Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

If you have any questions you’d like the duo to answer, email [email protected] or [email protected]

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.

Even as uncertainty reins in the markets, 2026 has been another bumper year for returns. But, as ever, that does hide plenty of dispersion below the surface; with that in mind, this week’s show looks at two stocks at opposite ends of the scale.

One is up over 800 per cent in the year to date – that’s semiconductor manufacturer IQE, which reported interim results on Monday. Michael Fahy is in the studio to dive into the details and ask whether its run can continue.

At the other end of the spectrum is Mortgage Advice Bureau, which fell 20 per cent on Wednesday after lowering full-year guidance. Julian Hofmann asks whether there’s any light at the end of the tunnel after it departed from Aim, and will also run the rule over the thus-far better-performing Property Franchise Group.

In between, we turn to our Top 50 Funds of 2026. Val Cipriani and her expert panel have compiled our annual rundown of 50 active funds we think may be suitable for a range of investors. Val talks through our picks.

00:00 Intro

01.14 IQE

14:19 Top 50 Funds

26:17 Mortgage Advice Bureau

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.

This week’s show begins with a look at Meta after the social media giant had to fork out $18bn following accusations that its products are deliberately addictive for younger people. Valeria Martinez is in the studio to discuss whether big tech and other sectors are now the new ‘sin stocks’ and whether the companies which are so irresistible to consumers are toxic for investors. 

We then discuss our annual Top 50 ETFs best-buy list, released earlier this summer. Val Cipriani talks us through how it was compiled, some of the changes, and what investors should consider when buying tracker funds.

Finally, we look at building materials supplier Grafton, which released half-year results on Thursday morning. Mark Robinson weighs up whether its UK struggles are being offset by better business in the rest of Europe and its home market of Ireland, and what this means for the investment case.

00:00 Intro

01:09 Top 50 ETFs

12:34 A new age of 'Sin stocks'

27:10 Grafton's results

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.