Author: roymorgansocial

ASX earnings likely to get better, say fund managers

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 27-May-16

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index has gained almost 10 per cent in the last seven weeks, prompting speculation as to whether the rally can be sustained. The market is now trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 16 times earnings, compared with its long-run average of around 14 times. However, Nader Naeimi of AMP Capital is upbeat about the earnings outlook for listed companies, and notes that even a modest increase in earnings will be sufficient to bolster the market.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, BEL-RAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FIDELITY INVESTMENTS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, EQUITY TRUSTEES LIMITED – ASX EQT

Energy players ready for mergers

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 31 : 26-May-16

A global survey by international law firm Ashurst has found that 83 per cent of oil and gas company executives anticipate a 50 per cent rise in mergers and acquisitions activity in the sector during 2016. M&A activity is also expected to rise strongly over the next 3-5 years. Meanwhile, some 87 per cent of respondents indicated that their latest strategic plan has either reduced their capital investment budget or left it unchanged.

CORPORATES
ASHURST LLP, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, INTEROIL CORPORATION, AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, LONE STAR FUNDS

Don’t call me nanna: the ‘Advanced Style’ phenomenon

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-May-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 65.3 per cent of Australian women aged 65+ agreed that "I try to look stylish" in the year to December 2015, compared with 60 per cent in 2011. In contrast, just 24.8 per cent agree that "It’s important to look fashionable". Meanwhile, the proportion of older women who say that they "live a full and busy life" has risen from 65.5 per cent to 67.7 per cent, while 21.8 per cent "look for new experiences every day" (up from 17.9 per cent in 2011).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards: a different perspective

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-May-16

Roy Morgan Research has announced the April 2016 winners of its monthly Customer Satisfaction Awards in Australia. The awards are based on data from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, which shows that the 20 highest-scoring businesses had customer satisfaction ratings of at least 85 per cent in the year to April 2016, while the top 10 all had ratings of more than 90 per cent. Analysis by industry shows that car manufacturers had the highest average satisfaction rating in the year to April (at 93 per cent), ahead of building societies/credit unions (91 per cent). Full details of all 32 category winners can be seen at CustomerSatisfactionAwards.com.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Consumer satisfaction with big four banks improves in April

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-May-16

A Roy Morgan Research Single Source survey has found that the overall satisfaction level of the personal customers of Australia’s four major banks rose to 80.2 per cent in the six months to April 2016, compared with 80 per cent in March. The Commonwealth Bank continued to have the highest customer satisfaction rating of the four major banks, at 81.7 per cent, which is 0.4 per cent lower than previously. Meanwhile, many smaller banks had higher customer satisfaction ratings than the "big four", with Teachers Mutual boasting a satisfaction rating of 92.7 per cent.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, TEACHERS MUTUAL BANK LIMITED, HERITAGE BANK LIMITED – ASX HBS, BANK AUSTRALIA, BEYOND BANK AUSTRALIA, ING DIRECT, BENDIGO BANK, ME BANK

Morgan Stanley adds to gloom with 1pc rate tip

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 : 26-May-16

Investment bank Morgan Stanley has forecast that the Reserve Bank of Australia will reduce the cash rate from 1.75 per cent to just one per cent by mid-2017. Chris Nicol and Daniel Blake of Morgan Stanley expect more aggressive monetary policy easing due to factors such as the need to reduce the value of the Australian dollar. They note that banks in particular will be adversely affected by a much lower cash rate, although there is likely to be a minimal impact on consumer stocks.

CORPORATES
MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Miners plead for no new tax slug in NSW budget

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 26-May-16

The New South Wales Minerals Council has warned the State Government that imposing additional taxes on mining companies in the June 2016 Budget will deter investment and increase investor uncertainty. The Council’s pre-Budget submission has also urged Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian to provide more funding for the "Resources for Regions" infrastructure program.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES MINERALS COUNCIL, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, SHENHUA WATERMARK COAL PTY LTD

Negative yields could be on the way to Australia’s market

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Original article by Vesna Poljak, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 & 26 : 26-May-16

The yield on Australian government bonds recently reached a record low of 2.2 per cent, and Arif Husain of T. Rowe Price has warned that yields may eventually fall into negative territory. The head of international fixed income says investors should consider whether bonds continue to provide the level of income and stability they require. He favour Serbian bonds for income and Swedish covered bonds for stability, with the latter hedged in Australian dollars.

CORPORATES
T ROWE PRICE GROUP INCORPORATED

CFMEU’s 18 per cent pay grab

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Patrick Hatch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 26-May-16

Victorian members of the militant Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union have approved a new enterprise agreement for construction workers. It includes an annual wage rise of five per cent for the next three years and a three per cent pay rise the following year. John Setka, the state secretary of the CFMEU’s building division, said members should lock in the pay deal in case the Coalition wins the federal election and makes another attempt to reinstate the Australian Building & Construction Commission.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, THE MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX LIMITED, PROBUILD PTY LTD, HICKORY GROUP PTY LTD, LU SIMON PTY LTD, BUILT PTY LTD

Overvalued Aussie dollar could dive below US50c, warns ANZ

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Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 34 : 26-May-16

The Australian dollar is currently trading above $US0.71, but Daniel Been of the ANZ Bank warns that it could potentially test the $US0.50 level. While the currency has shed 35 per cent against its US counterpart over the last five years, Been says its continued resilience can be partly attributed to Australia’s "AAA" credit rating, which has led to the dollar being regarded as a safe-haven currency. He notes that factors such as Australia’s current account deficit and high government debt would not usually result in such strong support for the currency.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, STRATTON STREET CAPITAL LLP, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD