Fidelity Top Stories
SPD Berlin chapter votes against grand coalition, polls more optimistic
German lawmakers' attempts to forge a grand coalition were a dealt a blow overnight after the Berlin chapter of the country's Socialist party, the SPD, voted against entering another power-sharing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right CDU/CSU.
Carillion contracts to be taken in-house or re-tendered, says government
Following the collapse of construction and outsourcing group Carillion, the government said it will take on some contracts and others will be re-tendered to other contractors.
Carillion put into liquidation after talks with government, lenders fail
Construction group Carillion will be put into liquidation after crisis talks with the government and creditors collapsed early on Monday.
New UK home asking prices rise 0.7% in January, Rightmove says
Asking prices for new homes coming to market rose in January by slightly more than a year ago, but continued to lag the pace of gains seen in previous years, according to property website Rightmove.
Pound jumps on news Spain and Holland to push for 'soft' Brexit
Sterling rose to its best level since the Brexit vote on Friday on news that Spain and Holland's finance ministers have reached an agreement that would see the two work together to lock down a Brexit deal that would keep the UK as close to the EU as possible.
Trump cancels UK embassy visit, blames Obama for 'bad deal' on building
President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned trip to open the US embassy in London, claiming the cost and location of the new building was a “bad deal”.
Farage backtracks on call for second Brexit referendum
Former UKIP leader and fanatical Brexiteer Nigel Farage performed the swiftest of u-turns on Friday when he backtracked on his call for a second EU referendum.
UK's Farage supports second Brexit referendum
Former UKIP leader and Brexit architect Nigel Farage called for a second referendum on EU membership on Thursday, claiming Britain would repeat its decision to leave.
Euro snaps higher after ECB minutes
The euro has snapped higher after rate-setters in Frankfurt dropped a hint that they might harden their so-called 'guidance' for their policy settings.
Eurozone manufacturers on a roll heading into 2018
Eurozone industrial production jumped more than expected in November and the bloc headed into 2018 on the front foot.
Tesco's festive sales fall shy of City forecasts
Tesco reported fairly strong sales growth in the run-up to and including Christmas, though still fell slightly short of City forecasts.
UK's Hammond, Davis go cap in hand to Germany for financial services deal
UK Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit Secretary David Davis called on Germany to help forge a deal that would protect Britain's precious financial services sector after leaving the EU next year.
Reports say China may slow US Treasury purchases, trade tensions cited
Longer-term US Treasury yields jumped to near their 2017-highs following a report that Beijing might be looking to slow or stop its purchases of American government debt.
Construction output disappoints as commercial building slides
UK construction output in November rose for the first time since August but growth remained weak and remained in decline at the underlying level.
FCA warns of failings in firms providing CFDs to retail investors
Several City brokers providing contracts for difference (CFDs) to retail investors are causing "serious concern" at the UK financial regulator, which wrote to 19 providers with a warning about their conduct.
UK industrial production rises for eighth month in a row
UK industrial production notched up its strongest run of growth in 23 years as output from the manufacturing sector rose more than expected, official data showed on Wednesday.
UK could vote to rejoin EU customs union after Brexit, minister admits
The UK parliament could vote in favour of rejoining the EU customs union after Brexit without further legislation, a Treasury minister admitted to MPs.
Treasury committee demands govt clarify impact of VAT rule change post-Brexit
Parliament's powerful Treasury select committee has demanded the government clarify how 130,000 UK firms will be affected by post-Brexit tax rules that will see them paying VAT up front on EU imports.
JP Morgan boss says US GDP could grow by 4% in 2018
Chief executive of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, offered a forecast for US economic growth that was comfortably ahead of even the most optimistic projections from economists.
North and South Korea hold first talks in two years
North Korea and South Korea are embracing talks aimed at improving relations between the two countries.