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Wednesday newspaper round-up: BT Group, Water bills, CAB Payments

(Sharecast News) - The telecoms regulator has issued a warning to the chief executive of BT over his comments that the group's Openreach network expansion would "end in tears" for rivals and has opened an investigation into its performance. Ofcom said Philip Jansen's comments were of "significant concern" and that it "would be extremely concerned to see similar comments in future and will be keeping this under close review". - The Times Water companies are drawing up plans to increase household bills by up to 40 per cent to pay for the cost of tackling the sewage crisis and the consequences of climate change. In a move that has alarmed ministers, England's privatised utilities said that they needed the extra money to meet strict pollution targets. - The Times

Britain's financial technology sector received a double boost as payments firm Wise said its profits have more than trebled, while another confirmed plans to list on the London Stock Exchange next week. Wise, which specialises in international money transfers, posted a profit of £146.5million for the year to the end of March, up from £43.9million in 2022. And CAB Payments revealed that its shares would list on the London market next Thursday with a projected value of around £851million. - Daily Mail

Britain risks missing out on more than £100bn worth of electric car production, unless ministers use "every policy, every fiscal and regulatory lever" to compete with the EU, automotive chiefs have said. Industry leaders warned over the cliff-edge faced by looming post-Brexit tariffs on electric vehicles, saying ministers needed to urgently improve science education and secure tax-free deals to avoid a drop-off. - Daily Telegraph

Boots, Britain's biggest high street chemist, is to pull down the shutters on 300 shops over the next year as part of a cost-cutting drive by its American owner. The company will reduce its estate from 2,200 to about 1,900 stores amid speculation that the business could be put up for sale. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: Höfner, Sotheby's, Christie's
(Sharecast News) - Ministers and senior MPs have warned that the UK's agreements with Donald Trump are "built on sand" after the Guardian established that the deal to avoid drug tariffs has no underlying text beyond limited headline terms. The "milestone" US-UK deal announced this month on pharmaceuticals, which will mean the NHS pays more for medicines in exchange for a promise of zero tariffs on the industry, still lacks a legal footing beyond top lines contained in two government press releases. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Grangemouth ethylene plant, Warner Bros, ChatGPT
(Sharecast News) - Jim Ratcliffe's chemicals company Ineos has been granted £120m of government funding to help save the UK's last ethylene plant at Grangemouth, in a deal expected to protect more than 500 jobs. The investment in the Scottish plant was necessary to preserve a vital part of the country's chemicals infrastructure, the UK government said. The ethylene produced there was essential for medical-grade plastics production, water treatment and in aerospace and car-building, it added. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Nissan, Morrisons, Ford
(Sharecast News) - Nissan has started the production of its latest electric car in Sunderland, a crucial step in the UK automotive industry's transition away from petrol and diesel. The Japanese manufacturer will launch the third generation of the Leaf on Tuesday, which was the first mass-market battery electric car to be built in the UK. Nissan has made 282,704 Leaf models at the north-east England plant so far. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Cryptocurrencies, jobs downturn, Cycle Pharma
(Sharecast News) - Cryptocurrencies will be regulated in a similar way to other financial products under legislation coming into force in 2027. The Treasury is drawing up rules that will require crypto companies to meet a set of standards overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Ministers have sought to overhaul the crypto market, which has ballooned in popularity as a way of investing money and making payments. Cryptocurrencies have not been subject to the same regulation as traditional financial products such as stocks and shares, which means that in many cases consumers do not enjoy the same level of protection. - 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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