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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.

Friday newspaper round-up: Power cuts, US debt ceiling, Weir Group

(Sharecast News) - The risk of power cuts to factories and homes this winter has increased, the National Grid warned, as the business secretary prepared for a crunch meeting with industry bosses concerned the energy crisis may force them to scale back production. The price of gas and electricity has soared in recent weeks, leading to the collapse of multiple energy suppliers and prompting warnings of higher costs for consumers, factory shutdowns and increased pollution as plants switch to dirtier but cheaper fuels. - Guardian The US Senate has approved a deal to extend the government's borrowing authority into December. The compromise between Republican and Democratic leaders would temporarily avert an unprecedented federal default that experts say would have devastated the economy. With a 50-48 vote, senators agreed to increase the borrowing limit by $480bn, sufficient to prevent the US government from defaulting by keeping debt payments up until 3 December. - Guardian

Ireland has been forced to abandon its low tax business model in the face of pressure from Joe Biden, putting the country's status as a haven for global companies at risk. The sacrosanct 12.5pc tax rate has been the cornerstone of the Irish economy for almost two decades, and helped attract some of the world's biggest corporations, such as Facebook and Google, to set up their European headquarters in the country. - Telegraph

Checkout.com, one of Europe's most valuable private companies, had a 73 per cent rise in UK and European sales last year as it benefited from the boom in online shopping. The payment processor, which was valued at $15 billion in a January funding round, recorded revenues of $252.7 million last year in its UK business, up from $146.4 million in 2019. - The Times

The mining equipment supplier Weir Group expects its profit to be trimmed by up to £40 million as the result of a cyberattack, it said in an update. The FTSE250 company said that many of its systems had to be shut down, disrupting orders into next year. - The Times

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Wednesday newspaper round-up: OpenAI, tariffs, Thames Water, Land Securities
(Sharecast News) - The UK is vulnerable to food price shocks because of its dependence on imports of fruit and vegetable from countries even more exposed to the climate crisis, researchers say. Much of Britain has sweltered under a record five heatwaves this year and endured drought and wildfires, with the hot, dry conditions damaging crops and reducing yields of domestic produce. However, the UK relies on countries under even greater climate pressure for supplies of some of its most popular fresh foods, according to a report from the Food Foundation charity published on Wednesday. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Government borrowing costs, US tech crash, civil servants
(Sharecast News) - Government borrowing costs in several advanced economies hit their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, or even earlier, on Monday as investors feared the Middle East crisis would keep inflation persistently high. Concerns over rising prices and government spending pushed up the cost of debt issued by Paris, Berlin, Washington DC, Tokyo and London as investors fretted that rising prices would push up interest rates. The yield, or interest rate, on 30-year French bonds rose to its highest level since September 2008 at 4.8558%, up one basis point (0.01 percentage point), LSEG data showed. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Water companies, asking prices, legal industry
(Sharecast News) - Water companies could be allowed to raise bills for customers during periods of drought under proposals being considered by the sector's regulator for England and Wales. Suppliers would be permitted to factor "water scarcity" into bills as part of efforts to reduce consumption under Ofwat's plans, which are being likened to surge pricing - the practice where private hire firms raise taxi fares at times of higher demand. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Elon Musk, Thames Water, Avant Homes
(Sharecast News) - Young people out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK are to join "AI boot camps" where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace. The government's latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets - young people not in work or education - involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to employment. - Guardian

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