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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.

Wednesday newspaper round-up: Energy price cap, Twitter, GB Group

(Sharecast News) - Liz Truss's intervention to freeze energy prices for households for two years is expected to cost the government £89bn, according to the first major costing of the policy by the sector's leading consultancy. The analysis from Cornwall Insight, seen exclusively by the Guardian, shows the prime minister's plan to tackle the cost of living crisis could cost as much as £140bn in a worst-case scenario. - Guardian Elon Musk has offered to complete his proposed $44bn (£38bn) acquisition of Twitter in a dramatic U-turn on his decision to walk away from the deal. Lawyers for Musk confirmed in a court filing on Tuesday that the world's richest man is prepared to push ahead with the transaction on the agreed terms following months of legal drama. - Guardian

Crispin Odey has made returns of almost 200pc so far this year as market turmoil and a slump in the pound boosted gains at his hedge fund. The Tory donor, who was a vocal backer of the Brexit campaign, last week declared that government bonds were "the gift that keeps on giving" after prices plunged. He has previously bet that the pound would slide against the dollar, while also shorting gilts. - Telegraph

The Bank of England chose not to buy any bonds yesterday under its emergency two-week operation to calm gilt markets, turning down offers from traders looking to sell £2.2 billion of debt. Having bought only £22 million of UK government bonds on Monday, the latest lack of intervention suggests that the Bank has so far succeeded in halting a dramatic sell-off without having to spend anywhere near what it had originally set aside. - The Times

Shares in GB Group dropped to a one-month low after the American private equity group GTCR said it would not proceed with a potential takeover bid. The company, one of the world's biggest providers of fraud prevention software, confirmed that talks with Chicago-based GTCR had ended because an agreement "could not be reached on terms". - The Times

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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Elon Musk, JPMorgan CEO, Carillion
(Sharecast News) - Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to mend power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran. Trump will bring tech leaders, including Elon Musk of Tesla and Tim Cook of Apple, and plans for headline-grabbing deals. He has said he expects China's leader, Xi Jinping, would "give me a big, fat hug when I get there". - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Household spending, BuzzFeed, Grant Thornton
(Sharecast News) - Households cut back on their spending in April at the fastest pace in 18 months, as the conflict in the Middle East provoked fears of another cost of living crisis, a report from one of the UK's biggest banks has suggested. Barclays, which processes nearly 40% of the UK's credit and debit card transactions, said its data showed there had been a 0.1% fall in card spending last month compared with a year earlier. This was the first year-on-year fall since November 2024. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: British households, Mike Ashley, Starlink
(Sharecast News) - British households are bracing for a new cost of living crisis, as the impact of the Middle East conflict dampens confidence in the economy and personal finances, a survey has suggested. Consumer confidence in the UK has dipped over the last three months at the fastest rate since June 2022, when inflation in the UK was soaring as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the spike in commodity prices. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Meta, Modella Capital, Network Plus
(Sharecast News) - Meta has launched a legal challenge against the UK's media regulator over the fees and fines regime it is enforcing under landmark digital safety legislation. The Facebook and Instagram owner is claiming that Ofcom's methodology for calculating the charges is flawed and should not be based on a company's global revenue. Breaches of the Online Safety Act can be punished by fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (QWR) or £18m - whichever is higher. - 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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