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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: UK farmers, Total, Royal Mail

(Sharecast News) - UK farmers are receiving negligible profits for many items as food prices rise and supermarkets boast record takings. An average block of cheese or loaf of bread produces less than a penny for farmers, and fruit producers do not fare much better, making just 3p from each kilo of apples. - Guardian French oil giant TotalEnergies has become the first major North Sea operator to cut investment as a direct result of Rishi Sunak's windfall tax. The €157bn (£134bn) company is to reduce planned spending on new wells by a quarter next year as the levy forces drilling businesses to reexamine their plans. - Telegraph

Royal Mail has accused striking staff of assault and intimidation against workers crossing the picket line as the dispute between the two sides becomes increasingly bitter. One person was headbutted while some employees were followed and filmed, according to claims made by the company as strikes entered their fifth month. - Telegraph

The former head of the competition regulator is set to take a job at a US consultancy where he will advise on anti-trust issues. Andrea Coscelli, who stepped down as chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority in July after six years, will set up a new London office as co-head in Europe of Keystone Strategy. - The Times

Britain's third-biggest cinema chain is ready to swoop on a rival in a "huge consolidation play" ahead of a possible stock market flotation. Tim Richards, who founded Vue International in 1999, confirmed the company was ready to take advantage of any opportunities that presented themselves as speculation mounts that Cineworld could be broken up. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: US debt, Oxfam, Mark Zuckerberg, KPMG
(Sharecast News) - US debt reached $40tn for the first time on Wednesday, the US treasury department said, after the government deficit doubled over the last decade. The treasury's latest debt balance showed $40.047tn on Tuesday afternoon, the highest in US history. The milestone marks years of government spending that grew under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. During his first term, Trump approved $8.4tn worth of debt, with a huge chunk going to Covid-19 relief spending, while Biden approved $4.3tn worth of debt, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. - Guardian
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

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