The upcoming week promises a flurry of financial reports from prominent companies, offering investors a glimpse into the state of various sectors and industries. Here's a breakdown of what to expect from a selection of FTSE 100, FTSE 250, and other notable companies reporting in the week commencing July 27, 2026.
Pipeline Progress and Pharmaceutical Focus
The spotlight shines on pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca and GSK, whose half-year results will be under scrutiny. While AstraZeneca's recent setback with heart-disease medicine Wainua serves as a reminder of the inherent risks in drug development, its strong pipeline record suggests it's unlikely to significantly impact medium-term guidance. However, investors will be keen to see evidence of healthy spending on research and development, acquisitions, and partnerships as older treatments face exclusivity expiration.
GSK, on the other hand, faces challenges with its chronic cough drug camlipixant, acquired for $2 billion in 2023. The company's ability to drive new revenue opportunities will be in the spotlight, with a focus on R&D spending and strategic acquisitions like the recent $10.6 billion takeover of Nuvalent.
Copper Growth and Mining Giants
Rio Tinto and Anglo American are set to report against a supportive backdrop for copper prices, driven by demand linked to electrification, grid upgrades, data centers, and constrained supply. Investors will be keen to see how these mining giants plan to grow their exposure to this attractive long-term market.
Anglo American's tie-up with Teck stands out as a clear signal of intent, potentially creating one of the world's leading copper producers and shifting the portfolio towards future-facing commodities. Rio Tinto, meanwhile, relies more heavily on organic growth, with projects like the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia and the Resolution project in the US offering long-term potential.
AI Spending and Tech Giants
The financial reports of Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft will put the AI spending boom under the microscope. While markets remain uneasy about the scale of investment, the focus will be on continued customer wins, strong demand for computing power, and confidence in infrastructure buildout.
Cloud will be a critical test for these tech giants, with investors keen to see Azure and AWS maintain momentum, supported by AI services demand and new capacity access. Meta's spending is harder to value due to the absence of a cloud business, but progress in renting computing power to outside customers or securing large cloud agreements could provide a new revenue stream.
Aerospace and Defense
Rolls-Royce's half-year results will highlight the performance of its Civil Aerospace, Defence, and Power Systems divisions. Despite initial concerns about the Middle East conflict impacting engine flying hours, the company's full-year guidance remains intact, with underlying operating profits and free cash flow expected to land between £4.0-4.2 billion and £3.6-3.8 billion, respectively.
Rising defense budgets and data center power demand are expected to drive strong growth in the Defence and Power Systems businesses, with first-half underlying operating profits projected to grow by around 10% to £1.9 billion.
This article, published by Hargreaves Lansdown, emphasizes the importance of seeking professional financial advice before making investment decisions. The author, Derren Nathan, leads the Equity Research team with over 15 years of experience, while Matt Britzman and Aarin Chiekrie contribute as Senior Equity Analyst and Equity Analyst, respectively. The content review process ensures accuracy and comprehensiveness, providing investors with valuable insights into the financial landscape.
