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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.

Thursday newspaper round-up: Corporate profiteering, Nationwide, THG

(Sharecast News) - Profiteering has played a significant role in boosting inflation during 2022, according to a report that calls for a global corporation tax to curb excess profits. Analysis of the financial accounts of many of the UK's biggest businesses found that profits far outpaced increases in costs, helping to push up inflation last year to levels not seen since the early 1980s. - Guardian Nationwide has told the 13,000 staff it had said would not be forced to return to the office when Covid lockdowns ended that they must start coming in from early next year for at least two days a week for most. During the coronavirus crisis the UK's biggest building society unveiled one of the most far-reaching flexible working policies, called "work anywhere", telling all staff who did not work in its branches that it was "putting our employees in control of where they work from". - Guardian

The world is in a new era of low growth and high interest rates, according to BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. It warned that inflation will be far more volatile than it has been in recent years - and economies can no longer grow as quickly as they have in the past without stoking price rises. - Telegraph

A New York-listed mortgage trust managed by the private equity giant Blackstone is at risk of a cash crunch, the hedge fund Muddy Waters has said. Carson Block, chief executive of Muddy Waters, revealed on Wednesday that it had begun shorting the stock, saying souring commercial loans could trigger a "liquidity crisis". - Telegraph

THG's activist investor has stepped up its campaign by urging the company to confirm break-up plans. Kelso Group has written to the business's board calling for a stock market statement outlining proposals for a demerger of its three divisions. THG operates a beauty business, a nutrition business, and an e-commerce services platform, Ingenuity. The company first listed on the stock exchange in September 2020 with a valuation of about £5 billion, but its share price has since declined and the company is now worth around £1 billion. - The Times

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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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