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.
(Sharecast News) - BT has been blocked from offering rival broadband providers discounted access to its network over concerns that the plans would threaten competition. Openreach, BT's infrastructure division, proposed discounts of up to £9.50 per month to companies such as Vodafone, Sky and TalkTalk for using its broadband network. It had said this would allow broadband providers to offer households value for money. - Telegraph
The boss of a collapsed shadow bank has blamed Barclays for the lender's failure as he fights a £1.3bn fraud claim. Lawyers for Paresh Raja, who ran Market Financial Solutions (MFS), said Barclays' decision to freeze MFS's accounts in Nov 2025 was the "ultimate cause" of its collapse. Mr Raja is fighting claims from creditors who say he received more than £408m from funds managed by MFS into personal bank accounts in the UK, Monaco, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. - Telegraph
UK government borrowing costs have hit their highest level since the financial crisis of 2007 as investors sold sovereign debt over renewed worries about rising inflation caused by a jump in oil prices. The yield on the UK's ten-year bonds, a proxy for the government's borrowing costs, gained 0.05 percentage points to hit 5.40 per cent on Monday, as gilts were caught up in a broader flight from fixed income assets. Yields on benchmark US ten-year bonds, known as Treasuries, gained 0.09 percentage points to hit 5.25 per cent - a 19-year high. Yields rise when bond prices fall. - The Times
The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its key interest rate to 4.6%, its highest level since 2011, while warning of further hikes. The widely expected fourth increase to the cash rate this year will add to repayment costs for millions of mortgage holders across the country. Before Tuesday's meeting, it sat at 4.35%. - Guardian
The US and China have released reciprocal lists of goods worth about $30bn each on which they plan to cut tariffs, ranging from consumer electronics and agricultural products to artificial flowers and live dolphins. The announcements are the latest tack away from the intense trade war between the world's two largest economies that dominated much of last year, though major strategic products are not included and no timeline has yet been given for the reductions. - Guardian
