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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: WH Smith, customs duties, Vectura

(Sharecast News) - The activist investor calling for a shake-up at Rolls-Royce has upped its stake in WH Smith but insisted it iswas supportive of management at the struggling high street chain. Causeway Capital Management is the retailer's biggest shareholder and owns 9% after buying shares in the wake of a recent profit alert. Analysts suggested the California-based investor was betting on a recovery in international travel rather than agitating for change. - Guardian The trade barriers that made the import of Marks & Spencer's Percy Pig sweets one of the first casualties of Brexit has added an extra £600m in costs to British importers since January, it has emerged. Customs duties paid by UK businesses shot up from £1.6bn in the first half last year to a record £2.2bn in the same period this year, according to an analysis of HMRC data. - Guardian

The UK's largest lung disease charity has urged shareholders to block a big tobacco takeover of drug maker Vectura ahead of a deadline on Wednesday. Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, urged investors to oppose the £1bn swoop by Philip Morris International (PMI) on Vectura, a company that plays a leading role in tackling diseases caused by smoking. - Telegraph

More Europeans are looking for work in Britain since the end of lockdown restrictions, but job searches from the Continent remain far lower than they were before the pandemic. In a promising sign for businesses grappling with staff shortages, searches from inside the European Union for positions in Britain have risen steadily since hitting the floor in April last year, according to Adzuna, a jobs search engine. - The Times

The Post Office, which has been helping to deliver Britain's mail since the 17th century, is to begin handling packages for Amazon, the great delivery disruptor of the 21st century. The tie-up comes as a fresh challenge to Royal Mail's former monopoly and could tempt even more UK consumers to shop at the American group's vast online marketplace. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, high streets, X boss
(Sharecast News) - Thames Water paid almost £2.5m to senior managers from an emergency loan that was meant to be used to keep the failing utilities company afloat - and has refused to claw back the payments, newly released documents reveal. The struggling water supplier paid bonuses totalling £2.46m to 21 managers on 30 April. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Wealth tax, net zero economy, Sizewell C
(Sharecast News) - The London stock market risks "drifting into irrelevance" without government and regulatory reforms, ranging from tax breaks for stock market listings to looser bonus rules for directors, a lobbying group has said. The 20 recommendation put forward by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which lobbies on behalf of UK businesses, suggest financial incentives, marketing campaigns and boardroom pay are central to guaranteeing the future success of the London Stock Exchange, which has been losing stock market listings and floats to foreign rivals. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: NDAs, Amazon, wealth tax, Seraphine
(Sharecast News) - Bosses in the UK will be banned from using non-disclosure agreements to silence employees who have suffered harassment and discrimination in the workplace as part of the government's overhaul of workers' rights. Ministers will on Monday night table amendments to the government's employment rights bill to prohibit the widespread practice of using legally enforceable NDAs to conceal unacceptable behaviour at work. - Guardian
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

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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