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Wednesday newspaper round-up: City regulation, Trump Twitter ban, Panmure Gordon

(Sharecast News) - More than 250,000 households will "slide into destitution" next year, taking the total number in extreme poverty to around 1.2m, unless the government acts to help the poorest families hit by the energy price shock, according to the National Institute for Economic & Social Research (NIESR). More than 1.5m households will see the rise in food and energy bills outstrip their disposable income, forcing them to rely on savings or extra borrowing to make up the shortfall, said the thinktank, which blamed welfare spending cuts since the Brexit vote in 2016 for leaving millions of families in a vulnerable financial position. - Guardian Rishi Sunak has moved to weaken regulation of financial services brought in after the 2008 crash amid fears he is aiming to make London into a post-Brexit "Singapore-on-Thames" pushed by Tory donors. The chancellor is bringing forward a new financial services and markets bill as part of the Queen's speech with the aim of "cutting red tape in the financial sector". - Guardian

Elon Musk has vowed to reinstate Donald Trump on Twitter if his $44bn (£36bn) takeover of the social media network succeeds, in a move that will further inflame tensions with Democrats ahead of midterm elections. The billionaire Tesla chief said that banning Mr Trump was a "morally bad decision and foolish in the extreme" because it undermined trust in the platform. He added: "The answer is that I would reverse the ban." - Telegraph

Britain will join the space race this summer with the launch of two shoebox-sized satellites from Cornwall. Equipped with Ministry of Defence kit, the so-called cubesats will take off on a Virgin Orbit Launcher One rocket from Newquay Airport. It will be the first satellite launch from British soil and is aimed at demonstrating the country's ability to rival other spacefaring nations such as the US, Russia and China. - Telegraph

Panmure Gordon, one of the City's oldest stockbrokers, turned its biggest profit since before the financial crisis last year as its turnaround under Bob Diamond, the former Barclays boss, gathers pace. The group has racked up tens of millions in losses since it was taken over by Diamond's Atlas Merchant Capital for £15.5 million in 2017. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: John Lewis Partnership, Ineos, Telegraph Media Group
(Sharecast News) - The owner of John Lewis and Waitrose has tripled profits to £126m but workers at the staff-owned retail group have missed out on a bonus for a third year in a row. The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) said sales rose 3% to £12.8bn in the 12 months to 25 January 2025, as underlying profit rose from £42m. However, the company said it was prioritising investment over the bonus with plans to spend £600m on transforming the business. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: ONS, Toyota, Reach
(Sharecast News) - The UK's embattled statistics agency cannot reverse a pandemic-era decision to release official data on the state of the economy before financial markets open because its creaking website could crash, it has emerged. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) had sought views on whether to revert to releasing statistics - such as GDP and inflation data - at 9.30am. The releases were moved forward to 7am in March 2020 to allow investors time to digest consequential data - such as the subsequent record contraction in the economy - before the start of London stock market trading at 8am. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Jes Staley, Unilever, ONS
(Sharecast News) - Environmental campaigners will challenge the granting of a high-interest £3bn emergency loan to struggling Thames Water at an appeal on Tuesday, arguing the "eye-watering" costs for a short-term fix are not in the public interest. With protests planned outside the court of appeal, Charlie Maynard, a Liberal Democrat MP who represents the campaigners, will argue in a three-day hearing that the public and consumer interest is not served by the debt package, which comes with a bill of almost £1bn in interest payments and financial adviser fees. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Hiring, Starlink, Thames Water
(Sharecast News) - Companies are putting the brakes on hiring new staff amid a "subdued" economic outlook and rising wage bills, according to the latest business surveys. In signs of a weakening UK labour market, the consultancy KPMG and the trade body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said a marked decline in the number of people being placed in permanent and temporary roles continued in February, although hiring declined at a slower pace than in January. - 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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