Author: roymorgansocial

Activism may explain ASX’s sprint to 6000

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 12-Apr-17

Hasan Tevfik of Credit Suisse says international shareholder activists may increasingly target Australian shares, adding that it is surprising that they have not already done so. He suggests that activist investors may have contributed to the local sharemarket’s recent rally. Shareholder activism has come under scrutiny in the wake of a proposal by US hedge fund Elliott Management for BHP Billiton to undertake a major restructuring.

CORPORATES
CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELLIOTT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, ELLIOTT ASSOCIATES LP, PERPETUAL INVESTMENTS, JP MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED, JANA PARTNERS LLC, AMERICAN WHOLE FOODS

Rio’s deferral of bonus to Walsh ‘reasonable’

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 12-Apr-17

Proxy adviser ISS has backed Rio Tinto’s decision to delay paying bonuses to former CEO Sam Walsh until it completes an investigation into the Simandou payments scandal. The firm concluded that Rio’s action regarding Walsh’s short and long-term bonuses was "reasonable". However, ISS also noted that in contrast to Walsh, two Rio Tinto executives who were sacked over the iron ore scandal in Guinea will lose their bonuses completely, which will cost them about $A4m apiece.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES INCORPORATED, MOXICO RESOURCES PLC

Business Confidence up in March; but low confidence sees Barnett Government thrown out

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Apr-17

Roy Morgan Research’s Business Confidence rose 2.4% to 113.8 in March 2017. The rise in Business Confidence coincided with the All Ordinaries Index gaining 142.8pts (+2.5%) to 5,903.8. However, the continuing low Western Australian Business Confidence contributed to the election loss for former premier Colin Barnett. WA has consistently had the lowest Business Confidence of any State since the end of the mining boom in mid-2015. A record high 43.3% (up 3.4ppts) of businesses say they are "better off financially" than a year ago while just 28.6% (down 2.2ppts) say they are "worse off", a net positive gain of 5.6ppts. In addition, 50.1% (up 4.4ppts) of businesses expect "good times" for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 46.1% (down 0.8ppts), expect "bad times" – a net positive gain of 5.2ppts. Meanwhile, 50% (up 0.8ppts) expect "good times" for the economy over the next five years, while 41.8% (unchanged) expect bad times.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence recovers after stumble – up 3.7pts to 114.8

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Apr-17

Headline ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 3.3% to 114.8 in the week ended 9 April 2017, more than reversing the previous week’s fall. The four-week average climbed 0.4ppt to 112.9 to be in line with the long-term trend. Increases were observed across the board, with households’ views towards their current finances registering a gain of 5.2% to 107.0, the highest since February. Views about future finances improved by 1.4% to 123.9. Expectations for economic conditions for next year increased by 3.5% on a weekly basis, while expectations for economic conditions in the next five years increased by 2.6%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

News to cut jobs in $40m cost saving

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 12-Apr-17

News Corp Australia has revealed plans for its third round of redundancies in less than two years. The staff cuts are expected to result in a significant reduction in the number of photographers at some metropolitan mastheads, while some journalists are also likely to be retrenched. News Corp is expected to rely more on the use of freelance photographers and wire agencies as it seeks to reduce costs by $A40m. Fairfax Media recently announced plans to reduce costs by $A30m.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN

Westpac’s Maxsted talks down need for capital

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 11-Apr-17

Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted is confident that recent measures aimed at curbing investor-only home loans will be sufficient and additional intervention by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will not be necessary. Maxsted also believes that the nation’s banks will not need to undertake further equity raisings in order to comply with new capital requirements. He adds that Westpac has prudent lending practices and will not approve loan applications for customers who may be at risk of default.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP

From Dagg to mentor of comedians

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Original article by Michaela Boland
The Australian – Page: 14 : 11-Apr-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and entertainment industry personalities have paid tribute to New Zealand-born comedian and satirist John Clarke, who has died at the age of 68. While Clarke is best known for his mock political interviews with Bryan Dawe on the Nine Network and subsequently on the ABC, he has been a major contributor to the local film and TV industry over many years. He also recently began writing a regular column for "Meanjin".

CORPORATES
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL LIMITED, WORKING DOG PRODUCTIONS PTY LTD, SKY NEWS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TRIPLE J PTY LTD

PM to push security ties with India

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 11-Apr-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull does not expect a free trade deal between Australia and India to be signed any time soon. Turnbull, who is visiting India, noted that there are issues on both sides of the free trade discussion that will need to be overcome before progress towards an agreement can be made. Turnbull and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have agreed on the need for stronger security ties between the two countries, while Turnbull is keen to promote Australia as the premier destination for Indian students wanting to study overseas.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, INDIA. PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, ADANI ENTERPRISES LIMITED, SKY NEWS, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIAN NEWS CHANNEL PTY LTD

Morrison cools on tinkering with CGT

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Original article by Laura Tingle, James Eyers, Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 11-Apr-17

Treasurer Scott Morrison says the Federal Government supports regulatory moves aimed at curbing interest-only mortgage loans. Morrison says such measures should help ease housing prices and reduce high levels of household debt. His comments suggest that he is not looking at changes to capital gains tax. Morrison says it is important to ensure that returns from rental property do not become too unattractive, as this would deter "mum and dad investors".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

50-year rule for coal-fired power stations gathers steam

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Apr-17

The Federal Government is understood to be considering a new mechanism for ensuring a smooth transition to renewable energy. Having rejected the idea of an emissions intensity scheme, the Government is believed to be planning to adopt a "50-year rule" for coal-fired power stations. The idea has the support of the Business Council of Australia, with CEO Jennifer Westacott saying it would enable the closure of coal-fired power plants to be staggered.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION