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Monday newspaper round-up: Rents,.Manufacturers, BAE Systems

(Sharecast News) - Residential rents across Britain are rising at their fastest on record as high interest rates shut would-be buyers out of the property market. Monthly rental costs are on average 12 per cent higher than they were this time last year, up £140 to breach £1,300 for the first time, according to the estate agent Hamptons. Separate research from the property website Rightmove suggests that more than a third of homes for sale have had their asking prices reduced as vendors try to drum up demand. - The Times Britain's manufacturers are "battening down the hatches" amid a sharp drop in activity, according to the latest quarterly data from Make UK, which represents manufacturers, and the business advisory firm BDO.Their manufacturing outlook survey shows that factory recruitment plans are weakening significantly for first time since the EU referendum in 2016, due to a slowdown in orders from domestic and overseas customers. Make UK has cut its forecast for 2023, predicting output will fall by 0.5% this year. - Guardian

The boss of defence contractor BAE Systems has opened the door to Saudi Arabia becoming involved in the UK's flagship fighter jet programme. Charles Woodburn, BAE's chief executive, said the kingdom can 'offer a lot' and had a talented workforce that could boost the project. Woodburn was speaking after it emerged that the Saudi government is pushing to become a full partner in the international global combat air programme. - Daily Mail

Home sellers are cutting asking prices at the highest rate in 12 years as mortgage rates hit buyer demand, new data shows. More than a third of homes had prices cut at least once in the four weeks to September 9, according to property website Rightmove, which was the largest share since January 2011. Those making reductions typically wiped £22,700 off their initial prices, a discount of 6.2pc. - Daily Telegraph

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Thursday newspaper round-up: Youth employment, SpaceX, EY
(Sharecast News) - Britain is slipping down the global league table for youth employment amid a dramatic rise in worklessness that is putting a generation's future at risk, research has warned. Sounding the alarm over a worsening youth jobs crisis, the report from the accountancy firm PwC said Britain's economy was missing out on £26bn a year because of sharp regional divisions in youth joblessness. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: UK borrowing costs, Channel 4, Anduril
(Sharecast News) - The "premium" that the UK pays to borrow money compared with its international peers may be coming to an end as markets grow more confident about the government's plans, a thinktank has suggested. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said that the chancellor Rachel Reeves's announcement in the autumn budget that she would be more than doubling the UK's financial headroom by 2030 from £9.9bn to £22bn had begun to assure bond markets about Labour's fiscal approach. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: household spending, British Library, Jamie Dimon, WPP
(Sharecast News) - UK households cut back on spending at the fastest pace in almost five years last month as consumers put Christmas shopping on hold, according to a leading survey. Adding to concerns that uncertainty surrounding the budget has helped dampen consumer confidence, Barclays said card spending fell 1.1% year on year in November - the largest fall since February 2021. The bank said retailers still enjoyed their busiest day of the year so far on Black Friday, with transaction volumes 62.5% higher than the average day for 2025. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Neso, local authorities, Anglo American
(Sharecast News) - Britain's energy system operator is pulling the plug on hundreds of electricity generation projects to clear a huge backlog that is stopping "shovel-ready" schemes from connecting to the power grid. Developers will be told on Monday whether their plans will be dismissed by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) - or whether they will be prioritised to connect by either the end of the decade or 2035. - 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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