Author: roymorgansocial

Joyce’s hold on power at risk: Nat

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 12-Feb-18

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says National Party leader Barnaby Joyce still has strong support within the Coalition and will lead the Nationals to the next federal election. However, there is growing concern within the National Party about a voter backlash over Joyce’s affair with a former staff, particularly among rural voters. The Government’s decision to move Joyce’s lover to a series of well-paid civil service positions has also attracted scrutiny.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE

Cut tax and see wages grow

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Original article by Simon Benson, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 12-Feb-18

The Federal Government’s legislation for an across-the-board reduction in the company tax rate will be put before the Senate in the week beginning 12 February. BHP Billiton Andrew Mackenzie, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and Woodside Petroleum’s chairman-elect Richard Goyder have urged the Senate crossbenchers to pass the bill, warning that failure to do so will reduce Australia’s international competitiveness and deter investment. They also argue that reducing the tax rate for all companies will encourage businesses to hire more staff and increase wages.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, ONE NATION PARTY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN AIRLINES INCORPORATED, FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION, AT&T CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VISY INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Upbeat Miller sets digital course

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 12-Feb-18

News Corp Australia boasted 389,600 digital subscribers at the end of the December 2017 quarter, an increase of 26 per cent year-on-year. Executive chairman Michael Miller describes digital subscriptions as a "huge opportunity" for the media group, noting that this market is recording annual growth of 20 per cent. Millers adds that the merger between Foxtel and Fox Sports is progressing, while he also says News Corp is open to mergers and acquisitions, including free-to-air TV networks.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL MEDIA, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Women falling behind in professional super advice

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 11.3% of Australian women purchase their superannuation through a "professional", compared to 14.4% of men. The survey also shows that just 68.8% of women have super, compared to 73.6% of men, while the average super balance for women is $133,000, which is only 71.9% of the male average ($185,000). Given that women have much lower superannuation balances than men, there is considerable potential to close the gap if they were able to make greater use of professional advisors such as financial planners, accountants and stockbrokers

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Holiday intention increasing with domestic leading

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source shows that the proportion of Australians aged 14+ who intend to take a holiday in the next 12 months rose to 70% in the December 2017 quarter. This compares with 68 per cent in the three months to December 2016. The survey also shows that the proportion of Australians who intend to take a domestic holiday in the next 12 months has risen from 52% to 54%, while overseas holiday intention is the same as it was a year ago (11%). Meanwhile, analysis using Roy Morgan’s Helix Personas consumer-profiling tool shows that the highly ambitious and well earning, socially aware Young and Platinum Persona is most likely to be planning a holiday in the next 12 months, while people from the Persona known as Strugglestreet are the least likely group to have any kind of holiday plans in the pipeline.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Airbnb is not a threat: Wyndham CEO

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Original article by Larry Schlesinger
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 12-Feb-18

Stephen Holmes, the CEO of hospitality company Wyndham Worldwide, believes that the impact of accommodation-sharing platform Airbnb on the hotel sector has been overexaggerated. When it comes to the question as to whether Airbnb has been the biggest factor behind the recent consolidation within the global hotel sector, Holmes suggests that a more important factor has been the growth of online travel agents like booking.com and Expedia.

CORPORATES
WYNDHAM WORLDWIDE CORPORATION, AIRBNB INCORPORATED, BOOKING.COM BV, EXPEDIA INCORPORATED, MARRIOTT CORPORATION, STARWOOD HOTELS AND RESORTS WORLDWIDE INCORPORATED, ACCOR SA, MANTRA GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTR, HOTELS.COM, CENDANT CORPORATION, RAMADA INNS PTY LTD, SUPER 8 MOTELS INCORPORATED

Skoda vs Lexus – tight finish for car satisfaction award

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that Skoda had a customer satisfaction rating of 97.5% in the year to November 2017, an increase of 4.5% compared with the previous 12 months. Skoda was followed by Lexus on 97.1% (up 2.6%). Nine of the top 10 car brands for customer satisfaction showed improvement over the last 12 months, with the only exception being Isuzu UTE, which was down 0.4%. The two biggest improvers among the top 10 were Land Rover (up 5.5% to 95.4%) and Peugeot (up 5.4% to 95.2%). The winner of the 2017 Annual Roy Morgan Car Manufacturer Satisfaction Award will be announced later in February. Lexus has won this award for the past three years.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, SKODA AUTOMOBILOVA AS, LEXUS, ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LAND ROVER, PEUGEOT AUTOMOBILES AUSTRALIA

Declining gas customer satisfaction

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Feb-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 57.0% of gas customers were satisfied with their provider in the year to November 2017, compared with 60.5% in the previous 12 months. Kleenheat is the best performer, with a satisfaction rating of 70.9%, followed by Red Energy (68.0%) and AGL Energy (65.0%). Nine of the 10 largest gas providers showed declines in customer satisfaction, while AGL improved by only 0.1% point. Meanwhile, the survey shows that 50.1% of customers who are "very dissatisfied" with their gas provider say that they are either "very likely" or "fairly likely" to switch companies in the next 12 months. Even among customers who were only "fairly dissatisfied", 42.7% say that they are likely to switch providers in the next 12 months.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, KLEENHEAT GAS PTY LTD, RED ENERGY PTY LTD, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL

Our beautiful coal must rival Trump’s: Canavan

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 2 : 12-Feb-18

Australia’s coal and LNG exports totalled $A56.5bn and $A22bn respectively in 2017, but Resources Minister Matt Canavan says the US is emerging as a major competitor in Asia. The US currently exports shale gas to Japan, and Canavan says Asian buyers have also expressed interest in US coal. The US has traditionally been a net energy importer, although the Department of Energy has forecast that it will be a net exporter by 2022.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF ENERGY, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ENERGYQUEST PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AME GROUP PTY LTD, ADANI MINING PTY LTD

NAB posts $1.65b in Q1 cash profit

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 9-Feb-18

Shares in National Australia Bank closed 2.3 per cent higher at $A28.90 on 8 February, after the major bank reported a cash profit of $A1.65bn for the first quarter of 2017-18. The result was three per cent higher than previously, while there was a 2.4 per decline in bad and doubtful debts. However, NAB’s expenses increased by four per cent during the quarter, and the bank expects expenses to rise by another 5-8 per cent during the remainder of the financial year. Citigroup has upgraded its recommendation on NAB’s shares to "buy".

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, INVESTORS MUTUAL LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA