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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Stellantis, ITV, Philip Morris

(Sharecast News) - Employers who force staff to return to the office five days a week have been called the "dinosaurs of our age" by one of the world's leading experts who coined the term "presenteeism". Sir Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology and health at the University of Manchester's Alliance Manchester Business School, said employers imposing strict requirements on staff to be in the office risked driving away talented workers, damaging the wellbeing of employees and undermining their financial performance. - Guardian One of America's biggest carmakers, Stellantis, could face fresh strikes after the United Auto Workers (UAW) announced plans for members to vote on authorizing a walkout. The UAW president Shawn Fain accused executives at the automotive giant of being "out of control" on Tuesday evening. "The company wants you to be scared," he told his union's members, "but we are 100% within our rights and within our power to take strike action if necessary." - Guardian

Britain's worklessness crisis is costing taxpayers £16bn a year through lost tax revenue and an inflated benefits bill, top economists have warned. The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) and the Commission on the Future of Employment Support warned that the country's workforce was shrinking at the fastest rate since the 1980s, leading to a shortfall in employment-related taxes. At the same time, the number of people claiming benefits because of ill-health has also spiked, leading to a rapid rise in the cost of benefits, while a growing number has never worked. - Telegraph

The boss of ITV has hit out at plans to ban junk food adverts on TV before 9pm, warning it could force the broadcaster to make programming cuts. Dame Carolyn McCall said the company had been fighting the ban "for some time" and warned it would lead to millions of pounds in lost revenues. Speaking at the Royal Television Society convention in London on Tuesday, she said: "We've done loads of research to say this is not going to make a dent in childhood obesity. But it is a political thing and so we're going to have to mitigate it in any way we can. - Telegraph

Philip Morris International has offloaded Vectura for just £150 million, three years after its contentious £1 billion acquisition of the respiratory drugs company triggered a backlash from the public health sector. The maker of Marlboro cigarettes has sold the Chippenham-based company to Molex, a US company that owns the contract development and manufacturing organisation Phillips Medisize, in a setback for its transformation away from tobacco. - 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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