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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.

Sunday newspaper round-up: Saudi oil output, Asos, 35-year mortgages

(Sharecast News) - Saudi unveiled plans at the weekend to reduce its oil output by 1m barrels per day in a surprise unilateral decision. The move was to take effect from July. The decision came as Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, was due to travel to Saudi Arabia over the following week. It also followed a meeting between members marred by disagreements, although the Russian and UAE energy ministers denied talk of any split with Saudi. OPEC+ meanwhile did agree to prolong the voluntary cuts announced in April until the end of 2024. The cartel and its allies were to meet again in November and plans might change. - The Sunday Telegraph Asos received a £1bn takeover offer from Turkish rival Trendyol in late December, according to City sources. Among the Turkish outfit's backers was Chinese online retailing giant Alibaba. The offer would have valued Asos at £10-12 per share, against a closing price last Friday of £3.5. There were however no live talks and both companies declined to commit. Recently, leading credit insurers had demured from providing cover for its suppliers or reduced the same. a decision that could squeeze its cash flow. - The Sunday Times

A record proportion, or 19%, of first-time homebuyers were taking out 35-year mortgages and more in the wake of soaring costs. That was the highest share since 2005, when records began, and twice the 9% seen in December 2021. The average age of a first time buyer was now 32, according to Halifax, meaning that many persons' intention was to continue borrowing until the end of their work life and even into retirement. - The Sunday Telegraph

Sky's UK boss believes the country is entering a 'golden age' of film and television. Spend on both combined hit a record £6.2bn in 2022, which was £1.83bn more than before Covid. Furthermore, just last month ministers promised additional support as part of a strategy to add over 1m jobs in creative industries over the next decade. - The Financial Mail on Sunday

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Thursday newspaper round-up: JCB, M&S, smart meters
(Sharecast News) - The British digger maker JCB, owned by the billionaire Bamford family, continued to build and supply equipment for the Russian market months after saying it had stopped exports because of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the Guardian can reveal. Russian customs records show that JCB, whose owners are major donors to the Conservative party, continued to make new products available for Russian dealers well after 2 March 2022, when the company publicly stated that it had "voluntarily paused exports" to Russia. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Brexit border outages, Boeing, Stellantis
(Sharecast News) - Lorries carrying perishable food and plants from the EU are being held for up to 20 hours at the UK's busiest Brexit border post as failures with the government's IT systems delay imports entering Britain. Businesses have described the government's new border control checks as a "disaster" after IT outages led to lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers being held for long periods, reducing the shelf life of their goods and prompting retailers to reject some orders. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Tesco, OpenAI, housebuilding
(Sharecast News) - Tesco is facing criticism from "shocked" charities who say they are struggling to distribute unwanted food to homeless and hungry people after they claim the retailer brought in rules that mean unwanted food can only be collected in the evening. The supermarket group has switched to a new system which asks charities to pick up unwanted food, such as items reaching their best before date, only in the evening when a store is closing rather than the following morning, the charities have claimed. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: BT, ultra-long mortgages, Fever-Tree
(Sharecast News) - BT has said it is increasingly using artificial intelligence to help it detect and neutralise threats from hackers targeting business customers amid repeated attacks on companies. The £10.5bn group is aiming to build up its business protecting customers from online criminals and has patented technology that uses AI to analyse attack data to allow companies to protect their tech infrastructure. British businesses are routinely facing hacking attempts, and some recent high-profile victims have included including the outsourcer Capita, Royal Mail and British Airways. - 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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