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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: HMRC, CMA, Santander

(Sharecast News) - Parliament's spending watchdog has accused HM Revenue & Customs of deliberately running down its phone services to force people to go online after finding the average call waiting time has passed 23 minutes - almost double the figure of two years earlier. With people across the country working to finish their self-assessment return before the 31 January deadline, the public accounts committee (PAC) said it was "concerned that HMRC has degraded its own phone services" in the hope that taxpayers choose other ways to get in touch. - Guardian The chair of the competition watchdog has been forced to step down after an intervention by Labour ministers, as they try to send a pro-growth message to businesses gathered at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. The business department confirmed that the Competition and Markets Authority chair, Marcus Bokkerink, was stepping down on Tuesday evening, just two years after being appointed. Most CMA chairs are expected to serve for up to five years. - Guardian

Britain is at risk of entering a bidding war with Europe for electricity, as countries race to lock in supplies after a sharp drop in wind power. Cold temperatures combined with calm weather have increased energy pressures across Europe, as dwindling domestic generation has led to traders competing to buy electricity. - Telegraph

A particle accelerator in Oxfordshire is to rip up atoms to generate a crucial element for nuclear fusion, under plans proposed by the Government. The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) wants to construct a particle accelerator that will generate powerful neutron beams capable of breaking down atoms of lithium, turning them into tritium fuel. - Telegraph

Santander remains committed to the UK, one of its "core markets", the head of the Spanish banking group has said amid speculation that the lender is preparing to quit Britain. Ana Botín, executive chair, said: "We love the UK, it is a core market, and will remain a core market for Santander for the future. Punto [full stop]." - The Times

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Friday newspaper round-up: Barclays, BP, JPMorgan
(Sharecast News) - The UK government will "wait and see" whether tariffs announced by Donald Trump "actually come to pass", a senior minister said. The US president announced what he called "reciprocal tariffs" on all other countries on Thursday evening, claiming it was "fair to all". But it was unclear how this would apply to the UK, especially as Trump suggested his policy regarded VAT as a tariff. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: Solar panels, OBR, Chevron
(Sharecast News) - California's home-insurance safety net does not have enough money to pay all of the claims from damage caused by the Los Angeles wildfires and has asked private insurers to contribute $1bn toward those claims. All private insurers operating in California are required to contribute to the Fair plan, a plan of last resort established so all Californians would have access to fire insurance. More than 450,000 California homeowners got their insurance through the Fair plan in 2024 - more than double the number in 2020. As of 4 February, the plan had received more than 4,700 claims from the Palisades and Eaton fires, almost half of which were for "total losses". - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: British economy, Heathrow, FOS
(Sharecast News) - The British economy is on course to expand by 1.5% this year after the budget gave a boost to public spending but could be blown off course if Donald Trump goes ahead with threatened tariffs, a leading economic thinktank has warned. In a boost to Rachel Reeves after a bruising month of negative economic figures, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) upped its annual growth prediction from 1.2% to 1.5%. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: OpenAI, EVs, gas prices
(Sharecast News) - Elon Musk escalated his feud with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman on Monday. The billionaire is leading a consortium of investors that announced it had submitted a bid of $97.4bn for "all assets" of the artificial intelligence company to OpenAI's board of directors. The startup, which operates ChatGPT, has been working to restructure itself away from its original non-profit status. OpenAI also operates a for-profit subsidiary, and Musk's unsolicited offer could complicate the company's plans. The Wall Street Journal first reported the proposed bid. - 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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