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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.

Monday newspaper round-up: Barclays, British Land, Saudi Aramco

(Sharecast News) - Barclays could save itself more than £200m a year after deciding to take a break from paying into its staff pension scheme, despite the fund's assets plummeting by £10bn in 12 months. Barclays last month declared profits of £7bn for 2022, but its "contribution holiday" means the cost of the payments it would normally make towards former employee's retirement benefits will now have to be met by the pension scheme - prompting anger among some ex-staff. - Guardian A stack of factory-made modular labs, with a roof terrace and grass growing on top, has sprung up at Canada Water in south-east London and is due to open in late May. With growing demand for lab space, the company behind them, British Land, is unveiling plans for a large new research building on Monday, part of a nascent life sciences cluster south of the Thames. - Guardian

The chief executive of Wagamama has said chain restaurants will never be as ubiquitous as they were pre-pandemic, but insisted they will not disappear from Britain's high streets altogether. Andy Hornby, chief executive of The Restaurant Group, which owns the Japanese chain, told The Telegraph: "I don't think the [casual dining] industry will ever be quite as big as it was." - Telegraph

The world's biggest oil producer has reported annual profits of $161.1 billion after prices surged over the past year, eclipsing the record earnings made by its peers. Saudi Aramco also cited higher volumes sold and improved margins for refined products as it became the latest energy multinational to outline record earnings. - The Times

The former technology chief of Bulb has launched a new venture that aims to sign up energy suppliers to use the failed company's customer service platform. John Marshall is now chief executive of Zoa, which is controlled by the London-listed Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund, a secured creditor to Bulb that has taken control of its technology assets as part-repayment for a loan. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: Sony Music, Royal Mail, house prices
(Sharecast News) - A leading City lobby group is calling on the next government to bring in scams legislation that forces big tech and social media companies to cough up to £40m a year to reimburse customers and fight fraud on their platforms. The demand came in a 'financial services manifesto' released by UK Finance, which represents banks, payments companies and other financial firms. UK Finance and its 300 membershave long complained about having to shoulder the costs of fraud against their customers, despite a surge in the number of scammers targeting consumers through platforms such as Facebook and Google. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Ryan Salame, Ocado, Shell
(Sharecast News) - The next government should force all tradespeople who install home heat pumps, solar panels and insulation to sign up to a mandatory accreditation scheme to counter mistrust in the industry, a leading consumer group is demanding. A report from Which? found that households face "significant anxiety" in choosing tradespeople to fit low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps, and insulation after "press stories about poor work and rogue traders". - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Ofwat, Facebook, Deutsche Bank
(Sharecast News) - Ofwat is poised to refuse most water companies' requests to ratchet up consumer bills, with some getting as little as half of what they have asked for, the Guardian has learned. The decision from the water watchdog for England and Wales, Ofwat, has been formally delayed until 11 July because of the general election. Its verdict, known as a draft determination, comes amid a growing crisis in the water sector. - Guardian
Sunday newspaper round-up: Natwest, Shein, Nationwide
(Sharecast News) - NatWest may not be selling shares to the public any time soon following the prime minister's decision to call an election on 4 July. The Treasury has said that an offer will not occur during the election period and Labour has not confirmed whether it would revive plans for the sale should it win. The sale had been expected to take place in June. - The Sunday Times

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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