Author: roymorgansocial

Satisfaction with household insurers improving

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Dec-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that satisfaction among Australian household insurance policy holders was 80.7% in the year to October 2016, compared with 78.5% over the same period in 2013 and 74.3% in 2006. Nearly all of the largest household insurers improved their satisfaction ratings over the last three years, with 97.0% of policy holders being at least fairly likely to renew their insurance with their existing company. South Australia-based RAA leads in customer satisfaction among the 18 largest household insurers with 92.1% (up 6.8% since 2013), followed by APIA on 89.3% (up 4.0%) and RAC with 87.5% (up 4.7%). Only three of the 18 largest insurers showed declines in satisfaction over the last three years: Coles (down 2.8%), Westpac (down 2.5%) and QBE (down 1.9%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, RAA INSURANCE LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PENSIONERS INSURANCE AGENCY PTY LTD, RAC INSURANCE PTY LTD, COLES INSURANCE, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, COMMINSURE, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, NRMA LIFE LIMITED, RACV INSURANCE, BUDGET DIRECT INSURANCE AGENCY PTY LTD

BHP considers selling Bowen Basin coal asset

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 5-Dec-16

A BHP Billiton spokesperson has downplayed speculation that the resources giant could seek a buyer for the Gregory Crinum complex in Queensland, which it owns in partnership with Mitsubishi. BHP had shelved plans to sell Gregory Crinum in 2013, due to a downturn in the coking coal price. However, talk of a possible sale has been prompted by the recent rally in the price of coking coal, which is fetching more than $US300 per tonne. BHP mothballed the Crinum longwall mine in 2015.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, BECHTEL PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, GLENCORE PLC, BATCHFIRE RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN PACIFIC COAL LIMITED – ASX AQC, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

Budgets too crucial to leave to MPs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Dec-16

Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand argues that the Parliamentary Budget Office should be given responsibility for monitoring the federal budget. It also calls for politicians to cease using the size of government as a criteria in assessing the nation’s financial health, while the impact of major policy decisions should be projected over a decade. CAANZ has also criticised the fiscal policies of the Howard and Rudd governments.

CORPORATES
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE, INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES, GERMANY. COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC EXPERTS

Welfare debt squad hunts for $4bn

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 5-Dec-16

The Australian Government expects data-matching technology to result in about 1.7 million welfare recipients being issued with compliance notices over the next three years. Welfare recipients have been ordered to repay almost $A650m since the automated system was introduced in July, which equates to about $A4.5m per day. The Government’s crackdown on fraud and overpayments is aimed at reining in the cost of welfare, which is forecast to total $A158.6bn in fiscal 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE

Rio Tinto suspends Oyu Tolgoi shipments to China

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 5-Dec-16

Turquoise Hill Resources expects the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia to produce between 175,000 and 195,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and at least 255,000 ounces of gold in 2016. The Rio Tinto-controlled company has advised that the mine’s shipments to China have been put on hold in response to the introduction of new border regulations. A spokesman for Rio Tinto is optimistic that the issue can be resolved quickly. The mine’s copper production is expected to top 500,000 per annum when a $US3.5bn underground expansion is completed.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, TURQUOISE HILL RESOURCES LIMITED, UNITED STATES. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

The ‘retailtainment’ effect: Aussies made 90 million more trips to the shops last financial year!

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Dec-16

In the 12 months since Roy Morgan last focused on the retail industry in a State of the Nation report, there have been some striking changes in the way Australians shop, both in terms of their motivations and their behaviour. Perhaps the most surprising of these is the resurgence in retail visitation. The latest retail-themed State of the Nation reveals that Australians made 90 million more trips to bricks-and-mortar stores in the 2015/2016 financial year than they did in the year before that. For several years, Australians have been making fewer visits to retail outlets, as increasing numbers turned to online shopping for its convenience and (often) cheaper prices. But while bricks-and-mortar visitation is still well down on five years ago (by some 100 million trips, despite our growing population), it has shown signs of a turnaround more recently. Over the last financial year, Aussies made a combined 1.43 billion trips to department stores and discount stores, hardware stores and homeware stores, clothing stores, music stores and newsagents: an increase of 90 million trips on the 2014/2015 financial year. This increased customer traffic is at least partly due to the growing ‘retailtainment’ trend, where stores are working to enhance their customers’ shopping experience with an entertainment element – an on-site cafe or an in-store DJ for example – to lure them away from the computer screen and into a physical retail space.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Losing triple-A rating inevitable: Hewson

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Simon King
The Australian – Page: 4 : 5-Dec-16

The former leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, John Hewson, believes that it is a matter of when rather than if the nation’s "AAA" credit rating is downgraded. Hewson adds that it will be a challenge for the Federal Government to achieve a Budget surplus by the end of the decade, and argues that neither of the major political parties have policies that will achieve this outcome.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, STANDARD AND POOR’S FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Roy Morgan Research – 75 Years collecting, analysing and interpreting accurate information!

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Dec-16

Roy Morgan Research Ltd Directors are pleased to report the company has returned to profitability during 2016, both in Australia and overseas, and the start of 2017 is continuing in the same way. Shareholders have been advised that the consolidated profit for the financial year to June 30, 2016 was $3,045,000 compared with a loss for the year ended June 30, 2015 of $2,337,000 and a loss of $7,858,000 for 2014. EBITDA (Earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation, and amortisation) for the financial year to June 30, 2016 was $3,946,000 compared with a negative EBITDA of $1,784,000 for 2015 and a negative EBITDA of $6,644,000 for 2014. Directors expect Roy Morgan Research Ltd profit for the full year to June 30, 2017 to be near $5.5 million with EBITDA in excess of $6 million.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Fairfax sat on Forbes sex claim

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Dec-16

A second female journalist had accused Mark Forbes of sexual harassment. He was suspended as editor-in-chief of "The Age" on 2 December 2016, but it has been alleged that Fairfax Media was aware of the initial complaint several weeks before taking action. The Fairfax veteran had been editor-in-chief since April, and he was previously the news director at "The Age".

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Top 20 stocks lead revival, but with caveat

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jens Meyer
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 5-Dec-16

Blue chip stocks have been in favour with Australian investors in recent weeks, amid a trend to offload growth stocks. The 20 largest stocks in particular have generally performed well since the start of October 2016, and Macquarie Group expects this trend to be sustained into 2017. However, Tony Brennan of Citigroup cautions that blue chip stocks in some sectors may not perform as well as others.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, VOCUS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX VOC, BELLAMY’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX BAL, APP SECURITIES, QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS