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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: Unsustainable, Inheritance Tax, Payslips

(Sharecast News) - The government's debt pile is set to soar to "unsustainable" levels, the Chancellor's new fiscal rules not withstanding, official data reveal. During the previous week, Rachel Reeves binned the old methodology used to measure public debt, which will allow her to foist enormous additional liabilities on future generations of Britons. The new rules will let her borrow £50bn yet claim that she can balance the books. - The Financial Mail on Sunday Concern about an inheritance tax raid in the budget have seen the value of the Aim stock market crash by almost £6bn as investors ditch their shares. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely anticipated to scrap the exemption from the tax for those who have held their shares for over two years. Hence the 11.5% drop in the Aim index since the election. - The Sunday Times

Workers' payslips will not be impacted by Labour's tax hikes, education secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC. She made the remarks on the BBC on Sunday, ahead of the Chancellor's Budget during the following week. Come Wednesday, Rachel Reeves was expected to announce a hike in employers' contributions to national insurance that could raise between £8.5bn and £20bn. - Guardian

Spring Fibre, the full-fibre broadband network provider that raised over £150m to compete against BT has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. The decision comes after its key investor said it would pull the plug and the company failed to find a new backer. The news underscores the pressures that challenger broadband outfits - also known as alt-nets - face. - The Sunday Telegraph

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Sunday newspaper round-up: Ukraine, HSBC, Rolls-Royce
(Sharecast News) - Officials from Ukraine and the US are expected to sit down in Riyadh and talk about a possible partial ceasefire on Sunday. The meeting will be taking place sooner than expected and will precede another between delegations from the US and Russian on Monday. On Saturday, the American president said that efforts to stop an escalation in the war were "somewhat under control". For his part, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that: "We are only at the beginning of this path". "We are working for a ceasefire and a lasting peace [...] We won't have the terms of discussions or timing be played out in the media." - The Sunday Telegraph
Thursday newspaper round-up: High streets, Grangemouth, Fed
(Sharecast News) - The UK's high streets are expected to empty out at a faster pace this year as extra costs imposed on businesses by Rachel Reeves are blamed for shops closing and a slowdown in chain store openings. The rate of store closures is forecast to rise again as a result of the chancellor's tax-raising budget last October, after a slowdown to 10 a day last year from 13 a day in 2023, according to research. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Tesla, British Gas, steelmakers
(Sharecast News) - Elon Musk's vast stake in Tesla is no longer his most valuable asset as the electric car company continues to endure a sharp stock market sell-off. Musk's stake in SpaceX, his private rockets and satellites business, is now the billionaire tycoon's largest asset for the first time in five years, according to Forbes, which still pegs his net worth at $323bn - more than anyone else in the world. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, Ikea, FOS
(Sharecast News) - A record 50% more raw sewage was discharged into rivers in England by Thames Water last year compared with the previous 12 months, data seen by the Guardian reveals. Thames, the largest of the privatised water companies, which is teetering on the verge of collapse with debts of £19bn, was responsible for almost 300,000 hours of raw sewage pouring into waterways in 2024 from its ageing sewage works, according to the data. This compares with 196,414 hours of raw effluent dumped in 2023. - 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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