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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.

Tuesday newspaper round-up: Strikes, Klarna, small business borrowers

(Sharecast News) - Ministers have approved controversial plans to allow agency workers to replace striking workers, voting through the regulations on Monday night by 289 votes to 202. While the business minister, Jane Hunt, said the change, which was accelerated as a result of the ongoing rail strikes, was needed to remove the "outdated blanket ban" on using agency workers to cover official industrial action, critics say the measure is akin to a "scab charter". - Guardian Klarna, the "buy now, pay later" fintech darling that was once Europe's most valuable private tech company, has seen its valueK slashed by 85% to less than $7bn in its latest round of fundraising. The company, which enjoyed stellar growth while also being criticised for potentially leading shoppers into unsustainable debt, announced the valuation after the conclusion of a difficult $800m funding round as investors continued to question the true worth of many tech businesses. - Guardian

A major microchip factory is to be built in France with taxpayer money as Emmanuel Macron scrambles to reduce dependence on Chinese imports. The facility is being constructed by STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries at an existing site in Crolles, near Grenoble, increasing its capacity from 10,000 to 22,000 wafers per week. - Telegraph

The City regulator has ordered bank boards to step in and improve the way struggling small business borrowers are handled after uncovering widespread mistreatment of companies across the banking industry. A Financial Conduct Authority review of 11 banks' handling of borrowers who are in financial difficulty, including those struggling to repay taxpayer-backed pandemic loans, found "repeated instances of poor customer outcomes and failures to treat customers fairly". - The Times

A pioneering workplace savings scheme for refuse collectors and other lower-paid workers in Britain has produced a remarkable level of take-up, which experts say could one day transform the way people save. Suez, the waste recovery and recycling group, has recorded a 66 times higher take-up rate compared with other employers by making its scheme opt out rather than an opt in. - The Times

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Monday newspaper round-up: EasyJet staff, hiring confidence, Apple
(Sharecast News) - Donald Trump has said that his administration plans to start sending letters on Monday to US trade partners dictating new tariffs, amid confusion over when the new rates will come into effect. "It could be 12, maybe 15 [letters]," the president told reporters, "and we've made deals also, so we're going to have a combination of letters and some deals have been made." - Guardian
Sunday newspaper round-up: Trade, AstraZeneca, Tax hikes
(Sharecast News) - Brussels is heading into a critical week, with just two to go to clinch a trade agreement with the US or face a 50% levy on its exports. At stake are €1.6trn in transatlantic trade. Germany is down as favouring a quick deal akin to that inked by the UK so as to avoid a full-blown trade war. Paris on the other hand believes that the EU should hold out if too quick a deal is "imbalanced" - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Car sales, Vodafone, Glencore
(Sharecast News) - Ed Miliband has unveiled plans to make it easier for homeowners to install wind turbines in their gardens as part of a mass expansion of green power. The Energy Secretary has announced a consultation on relaxing planning rules governing the construction of turbines on residential and commercial properties. - Telegraph
Thursday newspaper round-up: Shorter working week, Microsoft, EY
(Sharecast News) - Nearly 1,000 British workers will adopt a permanently shorter working week, after the latest trial of a four-day week and similar changes to traditional working patterns. All 17 British businesses in a six-month trial of the four-day week said they would continue with an arrangement consisting of either four days a week or nine days a fortnight. All the employees remained on their full salary. - Guardian

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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