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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: Canada tariffs, national lottery boss, Meta glasses
(Sharecast News) - Canada has announced it will impose tariffs on a wide range of key American industries including cosmetics, dairy, wood products and outdoor equipment in the coming weeks, as it retaliates roughly "dollar for dollar" against levies imposed by the US. In a strong Canadian countermove to tariffs levied by Donald Trump, which took effect on Saturday after trade talks collapsed the day before, Canada's finance and industry ministers on Tuesday called the measure a "focused response" to what they see as unfair trade practices. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Trump tariffs, European insurers, high streets
(Sharecast News) - Donald Trump announced a new 50% tariff on automobiles and crucial raw materials from Canada, the latest deterioration in trade relations between the two neighbours with historically strong economic ties. The US president said that the increased tariffs would start on 1 January 2027 on all cars, trucks, automobile parts and steel. He also derided the nation's tariffs on American farmers, writing on social media that Canada has been "ripping off" the US "for years". - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: UK productivity, Shein, Poundland
(Sharecast News) - Productivity in the UK - a vital measure of economic health - is growing more strongly than official figures suggest, according to analysis from the Resolution Foundation. The thinktank suggests the chancellor, John Healey, may have inherited an economy finally starting to emerge from the long shadow of the 2008 global financial crisis. Productivity measures the economic output produced by each worker, and is a crucial determinant of growth. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Cash stocks, Specsavers, TfL
(Sharecast News) - The number of banknotes in circulation in the EU is increasing despite widespread smartphone payments, new data shows, with wildfires ripping through parts of Europe fuelling demand for an emergency stash of cash. While cash plays second fiddle to contactless payments in many cities across Europe, the amount in circulation is actually going up, Philip Lane, the chief economist of the European Central Bank (ECB), said at the MacGill summer school conference in Ireland. - 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.