Author: roymorgansocial

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence wilts – down 2.3% to 113.7

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Feb-17

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 2.3% to 113.7 in the week ended 19 February 2017. Consumer confidence fell for the third straight week, bringing the headline index to its lowest value since December. The fall was driven by a sharp decline in views toward current finances and views on economic conditions over the next five years. Households’ views of current finances fell a sharp 7.5%, bringing the index down to its lowest level since August 2014. However, sentiment towards future finances rose 0.3%. Households’ views of economic conditions over the next 12 months declined by 1.6%, and sentiment regarding economic conditions over the next five years dropped 4.9%.

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

Fairfax investors back Domain spin-off, but want more of it

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Original article by James Thomson, John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 16 : 22-Feb-17

Shares in Fairfax Media were placed in a trading halt on 21 February 2017, pending an announcement by the group. It follows media reports which suggested that Fairfax may demerge its Domain property listings business but retain a stake of 60-70 per cent. Allan Gray Australia’s Simon Mawhinney and Fairfax shareholder Alex Waislitz support the demerger, although the latter says Fairfax should have acted much sooner. Fraser McLeish of Credit Suisse recently valued Domain at about $A2.2bn, based on its earnings forecast for 2018.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, DOMAIN.COM.AU, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PROPERTY MONITORS PTY LTD, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, RSVP, WEATHERZONE, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TRADE ME GROUP LIMITED – ASX TME

Bullish BHP shoots the lights out

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 19 & 23 : 22-Feb-17

BHP Billiton has posted a 2016-17 interim underlying profit of $US3.244bn ($A4.226bn). The result was driven by factors such as strong gains in the price of iron ore and coking coal, and further cost reductions. Analysts had expected BHP’s underlying profit to be around $A3bn. BHP’s Western Australian iron ore operations achieved 47 per cent growth in underlying EBITDA, to $US4.16bn. Shareholders will receive a half-year dividend of $US0.40 per share.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ARNHEM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Satisfaction with risk and life insurance remains the lowest of all major insurance types

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Feb-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that satisfaction among Australians aged 14+ who are risk and life insurance policy holders was 67.4% in the year to December 2016, down from 68.8% in 2015. Less than one in four (23.9%) of risk and life policy holders were "very satisfied" with their insurance company. The survey also shows that satisfaction with risk insurance (covering income protection, disability, accident, trauma, etc) in 2016 was only 66.3%, the lowest of all insurance types and a little below the 68.7% for life insurance. Meanwhile, Allianz leads in customer satisfaction among the 13 largest risk and life insurers (75.7%), followed by Insuranceline (75.2%) and Asteron (74.4%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, ALLIANZ AUSTRALIA LIMITED, INSURANCELINE HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ASTERON PTY LTD

Why Vodafone is the top mobile provider in (only) Sydney

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Feb-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that among Australia’s 18,775,000 mobile owners aged 14+ Telstra is the clear number one mobile service provider, which 43.6 per cent use for a mobile phone, ahead of Optus (24.1 per cent) and Vodafone (18.0 per cent). The survey, which was carried out in the six months to December 2016, also shows that Telstra claims only around one in three mobile owners overall (33.6 per cent) across the five mainland state capitals, compared with 26.3 per cent for Optus and 24.1 per cent for Vodafone. Meanwhile, Telstra has the largest market share in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, but Vodafone has the largest market share in Sydney (30.4 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Stars align as Aussie battler skates to fair value

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 31 : 17-Feb-17

The Australian dollar peaked at $US0.7732 in local trading on 16 February 2017, in response to upbeat jobs data. National Australia Bank deems $US0.777 to be "fair value" for the currency at present, and NAB’s Ray Attrill says factors such as the rise in the iron ore price have contributed to the increase in its fair value in recent weeks. The currency has also benefited from growing expectations that the Reserve Bank will not significantly reduce the cash rate during 2017.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

South32 saves cash for future growth

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 24 : 17-Feb-17

Australian-listed South32 has posted a 2016-17 interim net profit of $US620m ($A804m), compared with a loss of $US1.7bn previously. The BHP Billiton spin-off has a net cash position of $US859m, and CEO Graham Kerr says the group will not keep excess capital on its balance sheet in the long-term. Shareholders will receive an inaugural interim dividend of $US0.036 per share, although Macquarie had anticipated a payout of $A0.045. South32 shares eased $A0.05 on 16 February 2017, closing at $A2.62.

CORPORATES
SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED, PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION

Earnings season shows bourse’s pillars are solid

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 31 : 16-Feb-17

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed above 5,800 points on 15 February 2017, bolstered by strong earnings results by a number of blue-chip stocks. The local bourse is now underperforming the US market by less than two per cent, recovering from a disappointing performance in January. The S&P/ASX 200 could test the 6,000-point level if the reporting season continues to deliver good results, and Richard Copple­son of Bell Potter still expects it to reach 6,300 points by the end of 2017.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, COMPUTERSHARE LIMITED – ASX CPU, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, CIMIC GROUP LIMITED – ASX CIM, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, PRIMARY HEALTH CARE LIMITED – ASX PRY, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Rio chief spruiks value over volume

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 19 & 28 : 15-Feb-17

Rio Tinto expects its iron ore production in the Pilbara to be within the range of 330 to 340 million tonnes in 2017, compared with 330 million tonnes in 2016. The group has invested some $US16bn on expanding its Western Australian infrastructure over the last 10 years. However, CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques says Rio Tinto’s focus is on value rather than volume, and it will consider the impact on the iron ore price before lifting production to take advantage of its increased capacity.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, VALE SA, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence: edges down

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Feb-17

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence edged down 0.9% to 116.4 in the week ending 12 February 2017. The decrease was driven primarily by declines in sentiment toward both financial and economic conditions over the next 12 months. Households’ views of their current finances improved by 1.0%, whereas sentiment towards future finances fell by 1.8%. Both indicators remain well above their long run averages. Households’ views of economic conditions over the next 12 months deteriorated by 3.8%, partially unwinding the 5.7% bounce over the previous two weeks. Sentiment regarding economic conditions over the next five years edged down 0.7% after a solid 4.7% in rise the previous week.

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