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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Europe open: UK election result in focus

(Sharecast News) - European shares opened higher with the UK Labour Party's landslide election victory the main focus. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.32% in early deals to 519.36. Britain's FTSE 100 index climbed 0.37% in response to the Conservative Party - led by Rishi Sunak - being booted from office.

"Labour will form the next government in the UK but compared to 2019 it has been accompanied by little fanfare on financial markets. This moment has been on the cards since Liz Truss' short-lived premiership, and the lack of movement overnight in sterling is a testament to how much of a foregone conclusion this has been," said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG.

"There has been some buying of the pound among IG clients over the past 24 hours, but the lack of movement overnight in FX markets meant interest was limited as the news came in. The new PM has his work cut out for him, but for the moment financial markets are prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt."

In equity news, shares in Varta jumped by a third after the German battery maker said it's in talks with luxury car-maker Porsche over a potential investment in its large-format lithium-ion battery business.

UK housebuilders gained on the election result. The Labour Party has pledged a large home building programme and changes to planning laws. Barratt, Persimmon, Bellway and Vistry were all up.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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