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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: Arm, Energy bills, Flybe

(Sharecast News) - The Financial Conduct Authority has offered to relax rules around so-called "related party transactions" in order to entice microchip designer Arm to float in London. Arm worries that otherwise it may have to report dealings with owner Softbank and any of the Japanese outfit's hundreds of investments as well as having to consult with shareholders each time. Such transaction nevertheless played an important role in failed US companies Enron and Tyco. Critics say the move would dilute the UK's highly regarded standards of corporate governance. - The Sunday Times The Chancellor has dismissed calls to avoid a sharp increase in households' energy bills in the March budget. That will see millions of Britons face a roughly 40% jump in energy costs. Jeremy Hunt rejected demands to stop the planned jump in the energy price guarantee from £2,500 to £3,000 a year for the average household. That would be on top of the halt to the additional £400 of additional government aid to offset higher energy costs, which was also scheduled to take place in March. According to the Treasury however, insulating all households on an open-ended basis could have a major impact on the public finances. - Guardian

Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are engaged in talks with the administrators of Flybe over a possible takeover of the insolvent carrier. But time may be running out for the administrators from Interpath with only days left to secure a deal. Otherwise, the company may have to be wound up. Lufthansa and Air France are interested in Flybe's seven pairs of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow and its five pairs at Amsterdam Schiphol. Critically, in the case of Flybe, contractual terms mean that if rivals want those slots then they must acquire the business. - Guardian

Activist hedge fund Cevian has heavily reduced its stake in Aviva having achieved its objective of making the insurer return more cash to shareholders. The move by Cevian, which in 2021 took a 5% stake, will be seen by the FTSE 100 giant as a vote of confidence in chief executive officer Amanda Blanc's strategy. Cevian later raises its stake to 6.6%. In March 2022, Aviva sait it would return £4.75bn to shareholders, having raised £7.5bn via the sale of non-core businesses in Singapore, Italy, France, Poland and Turkey. Nonetheless, Cevian will remain Aviva's second-largest shareholder. Shares of Aviva had gained nearly 60% since Blan took over. - The Financial Mail on Sunday

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Thursday newspaper round-up: CMA, Riverford, Lloyds, Arm Holdings
(Sharecast News) - The appointment of the former boss of Amazon UK to lead the competition watchdog poses a threat to its independence and pledge to hold big tech to account, according to a group including tech companies and the former business secretary Vince Cable. The group - which includes the News Media Association, the Firefox developer Mozilla, the consumer group Which? and the Future of Technology Institute - has written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to raise concerns about the appointment of Doug Gurr as the interim chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, Johnson & Johnson, BoE
(Sharecast News) - Thames Water may need as much as £10bn in debt and equity investment to repair its finances, according to a representative of creditors hoping to lend the struggling utility another £3bn. London's high court heard evidence on Tuesday that suggested the UK's largest water company may need significantly more resources than the roughly £6.3bn it has previously indicated. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Zero-hours contracts, Barclays, Asos
(Sharecast News) - Hundreds of thousands of British workers are on zero-hours contracts despite being with the same employer for years, according to analysis from the TUC. The majority of zero-hours contract workers have been with their employer for more than 12 months, while one in eight have not been granted regular employment rights after more than a decade working in the same place, the organisation said. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Apple, Daily Mail, OpenAI, Homebase
(Sharecast News) - Apple slightly beat analysts' expectations in its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025 on Thursday. The iPhone-maker's revenue rose by 4%, coming in at $124.30bn, barely above estimates of $124.12bn. Earnings per share were $2.40, just ahead of analysts' expectations of $2.35. Shares rose more than 8% in extended trading after CEO Tim Cook indicated in an earnings call on Thursday that Apple is on the trajectory for revenue growth next quarter. - 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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