Fidelity Top Stories
NIESR cuts UK growth forecast and calls on Hammond to ease austerity
One of Britain's leading economic think tanks has reduced its forecast for economic growth and called on the chancellor to relax fiscal austerity where possible in next month's budget.
Bitcoin hits record after CME unveils plans for futures contract
Bitcoin prices set a fresh record higher after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange unveiled plans to launch futures on the crypto-currency before the year was out.
Puigdemont rejects claims he is seeking political asylum in Belgium
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has denied he travelled to Brussels in order to seek political asylum in Belgium.
Brexit may lead to exodus of 75,000 finance jobs, BoE warns
As many as 75,000 jobs in the UK’s financial sector could be lost as a result of Brexit, officials at the Bank of England have reportedly warned.
Official China PMI slows in October amid environmental crackdown
China's economy slowed down in October, according to the results of two 'official' surveys.
UK consumer confidence slips lower - GfK
UK consumer confidence about the economy worsened in October, a long-running survey revealed on Tuesday ahead of big decisions from the Bank of England later this week, the Budget next month and ongoing Brexit negotiations.
Government 'fudges' decision to cut stakes on gambling machines
Profits at high street bookmakers are under threat as the government proposed cutting the maximum stakes of fixed-odds gaming machines from £100 to between £50 and £2, though it has delayed making a final decision until January.
JP Morgan reiterates 'underweight' on UK stocks
Strategists at JP Morgan reaffirmed their 'bullish' stance on the overall market, but so too their 'underweight' stance on UK stocks.
Spanish prosecutors to bring rebellion charges against Catalan officials
Spain's chief prosecutor José Manuel Maza has called for charges of rebellion, sedition and provocation to be landed on Catalan leaders in the wake of Friday's independence declaration.
Euro area economic sentiment hits 17-year high
In October, economic sentiment in the single currency area hit its highest mark since January 2001, boosted above all by more robust readings for retail trade and construction.
Hammond dealt tricky hand from £20bn Budget black hole - IFS
A ballooning public deficit could create a near-£20bn hole in the budget and make it hard for Chancellor Philip Hammond to concede to the growing demands for more public spending, new research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested on Monday.
HSBC profits flat in third quarter as Gulliver's jaws turn negative
Led by its "pivot" back to Asia, HSBC continued to grow revenues across its three main businesses in the third quarter but increased investment and bonuses kept underlying profits flat.
S&P keeps UK's long-term credit rating at AA, outlook still negative
Standard&Poor's reaffirmed its AA rating on the United Kingdom's long-term sovereign debt but cautioned that the risk of a disorderly Brexit has increased, which might lead to a further downgrade.
Polls: Nationalists might lose majority in fresh elections in Catalonia
According to one of the latest polls, were elections to be held in Catalonia today, then the current nationalist parties in the regional Catalan assembly would lose the slim majority of seats - not popular votes - achieved in the 2015 regional elections.
Catalan nationalists declare independence
The Catalan parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain as Mariano Rajoy's government prepares to introduce direct rule in the region.
Shire third-quarter earnings up 20%, reiterates FY guidance
Shire posted a jump in third-quarter earnings on Friday thanks in part to its immunology franchise, as it reiterated its full-year guidance.
Catalan nationalists call for vote on starting independence process
Catalonia's main nationalist parties have brought a bill to the floor of the regional parliament calling for the start of a procedure to declare independence.
'No alternative' to Article 155 in Catalonia, Spanish PM says
Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has delivered a passionate speech to senators in Madrid defending the suspension of Catalan autonomy.
Spain's constitutional parties agree to apply Article 155 in proportionate and gradual manner
Spain's two main constitutional parties have only managed to reach a partial agreement on modifying the legal trigger for the temporary suspension of Catalonian self-rule should the region's government fail to meet authorities' request that it return to the country's legal framework.
Decision to keep asset purchases open-ended was not unanimous, ECB's Draghi says
Rate-setters in Frankfurt cut the size of their asset purchase programme, but in the press conference afterwards the heads of the European Central Bank's governing council sounded a conservative note on the best pace at which to ratchet them down.