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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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Sunday newspaper round-up: Hargreaves Lansdown, Crest Nicholson, Michael Kors
(Sharecast News) - Hargreaves Lansdown's three private equity suitors have until Wednesday to either table a formal bid for the investment platform or walk away. A £4.7bn offer presented in April was rejected. In particular, the bidders have been attracted by the firm's ability to deposit client cash at the Bank of England for a rate of 5.25%, whilst paying just 3% on a cash Isa of up to £10,000. That netted its £269m last year at no risk. - The Financial Mail on Sunday
Sunday share tips: Oxford Instruments
(Sharecast News) - The Financial Mail on Sunday's Midas column labelled shares of Oxford Instruments a "long-term buy".
Friday newspaper round-up: Insecure work, Stellantis, Nationwide
(Sharecast News) - The UK has seen an "explosion" in insecure, low-paid work in the past 14 years, according to a new report. The TUC said its study had found that the number of people in insecure work had reached a record high of 4.1 million. The analysis of official statistics shows the number of people in "precarious" employment - such as zero-hours contracts, low-paid self-employment and casual or seasonal work - increased by nearly 1 million between 2011 and 2023. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: Revolut, BT Group, housing market
(Sharecast News) - Pensioners and people on disability benefits are the winners from radical changes to the welfare system made by the Tories over the last decade, while working-age families are losing out by thousands of pounds every year, according to a report by the Resolution Foundation. The Conservatives' 14-year overhaul of social security has shifted spending away from children and housing to supporting elderly people, and broken the link between entitlement and need for some of the poorest households in the country, the report says. - 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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