Author: roymorgansocial

Small cap stock the winners in slow-growth local economy

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Original article by Myriam Robin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 7-Jun-17

Victor Gomes of UBS says any economic slowdown in Australia means small-capitalisation stocks with significant offshore earnings are likely to perform well. Large-cap stocks have outperformed in recent years, and some small-caps were heavily sold down during the February 2017 reporting season. Robert Talevski of Activus Investment Advisors says investors need to focus on the long-term investment horizon when buying into small-caps.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ACTIVUS INVESTMENT ADVISORS PTY LTD, FORAGER FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX SMALL ORDINARIES INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 20 INDEX, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, YOWIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX YOW, GENWORTH MORTGAGE INSURANCE AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX GMA

New jobs: it’s more about bodies than brains

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Jun-17

A study of Australia’s fastest-growing job occupations suggests that its citizens are more interested in fitness and their appearance than in the much vaunted Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) sector. However, Jeremy Thorpe of PricewaterhouseCoopers, which used Australian Bureau of Statistics data to prepare the study, notes that there is not an actual STEM sector, so the apparent lack of fast-growing STEM jobs could be misleading. PwC found that indigenous health workers and sales assistants are the two fastest growing occupations since 2012, with florists, electrical engineers and secretaries among the occupations that have contracted the most.

CORPORATES
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Triguboff and Carapiet back German recycler

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz, Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 6-Jun-17

German tyre recycler Pyrolex AG is looking to list on the Australian sharemarket, and is aiming to raise between $A30 million and $A35 million. Michael Triguboff, who will be on the board of Pyrolex Australia, notes that over 60 per cent of its existing investors are Australian. Pyrolex focuses on the recycling of carbon black, a major tyre component. It is estimated that over 20 million tonnes of crude oil are used each year to produce carbon black.

CORPORATES
PYROLEX AG, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, CALEDONIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED, ZEPPELIN SYSTEMS, MOELIS AND COMPANY, MIR INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Future lies with autonomous cars: Ghosn

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Original article by Andrew Whire
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 6-Jun-17

Nissan Renault Alliance chairman Carlos Ghosn has rejected suggestions that growth in demand for autonomous and driverless cars will decimate the car industry. It has been claimed that such cars will lead to a significant drop in car ownership as people switch to ride-sharing. However, Ghosn does believe that autonomous cars will comprise a majority of all cars on the road by the end of 2022. He does not forsee much in the way of increased demand for electric cars in Australia without the introduction of government subsidies.

CORPORATES
NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, RENAULT SA, MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION, VOLKSWAGEN AG, GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION

Labor baulking at union calls for bosses to be jailed for wage theft

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Jun-17

Transport Workers’ Union national secretary Tony Sheldon says executives of companies that persistently engage in wage theft should face criminal penalties, which could include jail terms. ACTU secretary Sally Mc­Manus supports increased penalties for wage exploitation, arguing that the current sanctions are not a deterent. However, she does not support jail terms for wage theft, while the Federal Opposition’s workplace relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor says Labor is not convinced of the need for such penalties.

CORPORATES
TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Greener pastures: Lion lift sales 19pc in discount war

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Original article by Sue Neales
The Australian – Page: 20 : 6-Jun-17

Dairy processor Lion has had a good 12 months, with sales up almost 19 per cent. Lion’s brands include Pura and Dairy Farmers milk, Yoplait yoghurt, Dare flavoured milk and King Island cheese. Peter West, MD of Lion Dairy & Drinks, says its milk sales benefited from the 2016 backlash against cheap supermarket milk, while its farmgate pricing system is helping to draw farmers away from rival processors.

CORPORATES
LION-DAIRY AND DRINKS PTY LTD, MURRAY GOULBURN CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY LIMITED, FONTERRA BRANDS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, NEW SOUTH WALES FARMERS’ ASSOCIATION

Boycott grows over judgment by activist

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 5 : 6-Jun-17

Herald & Weekly Times MD Peter Blunden has advised that its newspapers will boycott all Australian Press Council rulings in which new board member Carla McGrath participates. The boycott was initiated by HWT parent News Corp Australia in response to the appointment of McGrath, who also chairs political activist group GetUp. Community Newspapers of Australia has indicated that it may also boycott APC rulings.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, HERALD AND WEEKLY TIMES LIMITED, COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED

Rebel told me lies, journalist tells court

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Original article by Tessa Akerman
The Australian – Page: 3 : 6-Jun-17

The Victorian Supreme Court is continuing to hear a defamation case brought by actress Rebel Wilson against Bauer Media. Wilson contends that her career in Hollywood was tarnished as a result of articles about her in Bauer’s magazines in mid-2015 that alleged she had lied about her age and other parts of her life. Caroline Overington, who wrote a magazine story about Wilson that was published in January 2015, told the court that she based her story on what Wilson had told her, and that she was "shocked" to subsequently learn that much of it was untrue.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA

Big business challenge over penalty cuts

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Jun-17

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash says the Fair Work Commission’s decision to phase in lower penalty rates will encourage small businesses to trade on Sundays and create jobs. Public holiday and Sunday penalty rates in sectors such as retailing and hospitality will be reduced over several years, a move that has been welcomed by the Business Council of Australia. However, the Australian Retailers Association argues that the full reduction in Sunday rates should have been made by mid-2018, while United Voice will seek to have the FWC decision overturned by the Federal Court.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, UNITED VOICE, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Gas explorers respond to PM’s demands

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 : 6-Jun-17

New data shows that Australian gas producers spent $A118.5m on onshore gas exploration during the March 2017 quarter, which is 20 per cent higher than previously. However, expenditure on offshore oil and gas ­exploration fell to $A221.8m, which is the lowest level since late 2005. Spending on mineral exploration rose to its highest level in two years, although the gold sector’s expenditure fell by nearly 15 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, GLADSTONE LNG PTY LTD, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, PETROCHINA COMPANY LIMITED, QUEENSLAND GAS COMPANY LIMITED, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL