Author: roymorgansocial

Correction fears as bears claw back hopes of rally

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Original article by Chris Kohler, Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 19 & 28 : 14-Sep-16

The Australian sharemarket posted further losses on 13 September 2016, after initially rebounding from the sharp fall in the previous trading session. However, US markets rallied after Federal Reserve official Lael Brainard said the central bank should adopt a cautious approach to tightening monetary policy. The Australian market has shed about six per cent in the last three weeks, and Lucinda Chan of Macquarie Private Wealth says further profit-taking is likely.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Why Commonwealth is still the investors’ favourite, 25 years on

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 13-Sep-16

The first tranche of Commonwealth Bank shares were issued at $A5.40 apiece in September 1991. Investors who took up the minimum of 400 shares in the float and reinvested their dividends over the following 25 years would now hold $A131,371 worth of shares in Australia’s largest bank. Financial market observers note that the first stage of the Commonwealth Bank privatisation was popular with investors, despite the challenging economic conditions at the time.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AFI, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED, MONTGOMERY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, EVANS AND PARTNERS PTY LTD, LINCOLN INDICATORS PTY LTD, PYRAMID BUILDING SOCIETY

BHP eyes coal-fired station to ease shortage

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Original article by Rebecca Puddy
The Australian – Page: 6 : 13-Sep-16

BHP Billiton is the biggest user of electricity in South Australia, and a spokesman says it is considering a range of options for its electricity requirements in the near-term. This could potentially include resuming production at Alinta Energy’s mothballed coal-fired Northern Power Station in Port Augusta. BHP could also consider the construction of a combined-cycle gas turbine to meet the energy needs of its Olympic Dam mine.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ALINTA ENERGY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FLINDERS POWER PTY LTD, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Business Confidence slumps in August – down 6.5% to 108.6 after interest rate cut; lowest since Turnbull became PM

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Sep-16

Roy Morgan Research’s Business Confidence fell 6.5% to 108.6 in August. The fall in Business Confidence comes after the RBA cut interest rates to a record low 1.5% in early August. The fall in Business Confidence was far larger than the small fall of the Australian All Ordinaries in August – the All Ordinaries ended August at 5,529 (down 2.0% (or 115pts) from July 31, 2016, 5,644) although the All Ordinaries has fallen further in September – now at 5,324 as of September 12. The fall in Business Confidence in August means Business Confidence has dipped below the 6yr average of 116.6.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Rio miner bullied for working too hard

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 13-Sep-16

The Fair Work Commission has dismissed an unfair dismissal claim by an employee at Rio Tinto’s Mount Thorley coal mine in the Hunter Valley. The employee and a colleague were sacked over allegations that they had bullied another employee, while a third man was reprimanded. Their victim has claimed that they believed that he was working too hard during his shifts. Although he did not make a formal complaint about the bullying, Rio Tinto took action after the three men attempted to box in their victim’s car on a highway.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

70pc slugged by combined super, pension changes

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Sep-16

The Australian Government has produced a briefing paper which shows that low-income earners stand to gain the most from proposed changes to the pension assets test and the superannuation tax regime. The paper shows that the reforms, which are slated to take effect in 2017, will adversely affect everybody except those on the lowest 30 per cent of incomes. Meanwhile, a report produced on behalf of the Institute of Public Affairs concludes that the Government’s super tax reforms will hit middle-income earners in particular.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED

Foul-mouth Palmer says PM, banks out to get him

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Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Sep-16

Prominent businessman and former MP Clive Palmer has told the Federal Court that he was a victim of a "political witch-hunt". Giving evidence on 12 September 2016 in the examination of the collapse of Queensland Nickel, he accused Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of persuading the big banks to refuse a loan of $A25 million, which he had sought for Queensland Nickel in September 2015.

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND NICKEL PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, PPB HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Dole compromise to win budget deal

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Sep-16

The Australian Government has backed down on a key measure in its "omnibus bill" to secure the Opposition’s support for the majority of its cost-saving initiatives. The Government is believed to have agreed to abandon its proposal to cease compensating welfare recipients for the impact of the carbon tax. Some Family Tax Benefit payments are also expected to be reduced as part of the compromise deal. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has noted in Parliament that the unemployed rate has fallen from 6.3 per cent to 5.7 per cent in the 12 months since he ousted Tony Abbott.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20)

Women still lag behind men in retirement funding but closing the gap

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Sep-16

Roy Morgan Research’s "State of the Nation – Spotlight on Finance Risk" report shows that women account for 1.4 million of the 2.9 million Australians in the pre-retiree group (aged 50 to 64 and working). The average retirement savings among these women have been well behind that of their male counterparts, but they are gradually closing the gap from being 57.7 per cent of the male average in 2008 to 63 per cent in 2016. Since 2008, the average net wealth of pre-retired women has gone from $A183,000 to $A232,000, an increase of 26.8 per cent. For men in the pre-retired group, the growth in average net wealth went from $A317,000 to $A368,000, an increase of 16.1 per cent. However, the average retirement fund balance of women is still less than two thirds (63 per cent) that of their male counterparts.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Blockbusters drive cinema attendance to new heights

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Sep-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 28 per cent of Australians aged 14+ (5.6 million people) went to the cinema in an average four weeks in the year to June 2016. The survey also shows that Australians aged 14-24 were by far the most likely to go to the movies in an average four weeks (40 per cent), ahead of 25-34 year-olds (30 per cent), 35-49 year-olds (28 per cent), and 23 per cent of those aged 50+. Meanwhile, 21 per cent of Australians aged 14+ visited a theatre chain in an average four weeks, while 12 per cent cite newspapers’ movie listings and reviews as a section they "especially choose to read".

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, HOYTS CINEMAS LIMITED, EVENT CINEMAS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, VILLAGE CINEMAS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PALACE CINEMAS