Author: roymorgansocial

Coal upstart tips more deals

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 19-May-16

Stanmore Coal MD Nick Jorss says the listed group is considering further acquisitions in the coal sector, as a number of large players look to divest assets. Stanmore bought the Isaac Plains coking coal mine in Queensland from Vale and Sumitomo in mid-2015. Stanmore has resumed production at the mine and will target annual output of 1.1 million tonnes a year, compared with 2.8 million annually when the mine was mothballed in 2014.

CORPORATES
STANMORE COAL LIMITED – ASX SMR, VALE SA, SUMITOMO CORPORATION, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION, ARROW ENERGY LIMITED

Will proposed super changes impact L-NP vote?

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-May-16

A Roy Morgan Research Single Source survey has found that 65.5 per cent of Australian electors who hold more than $A1m in superannuation are Liberal-National Party voters, as are 46.8 per cent of those with $A150,000 to under $A1m in super. The proposed changes to superannuation in the May 2016 Budget have the potential to negatively impact these two groups, which together comprise more than one in three (37.2 per cent) L-NP voters with super. However, just 28.6 per cent of voters with super balances of less than $A50,000 intend to vote L-NP, while 32.7 per cent intend to vote for the Australian Labor Party.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

SDA canvasses penalty cut

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-May-16

The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association does not support a push to reduce penalty rates for working on weekends. However, its submission to the Fair Work Commission’s review of weekend penalty rates proposes that workers be given the right to refuse to work on Sundays if the FWC rules that Sunday penalty rates should be reduced to the level that applies for working on Saturdays.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL

No kidding: parents of infants more likely than those of older children to take overseas holidays

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-May-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that more than 2.7 million Australians aged 14+ (or 13.9 per cent of the population) reported travelling overseas on their last holiday. The survey, which was carried out in the year to December 2015, also shows that just over 19 per cent of those overseas travellers were parents of children under the age of 16. Parents of infants aged 0-2 years were the most likely to holiday overseas (11.6 per cent), followed by parents of 12-15 year-olds (10.3 per cent). Meanwhile, 5.3 per cent of Australian-born parents of infants went overseas on their last holiday, compared with 23.5 per cent of parents who were born overseas.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence ticks up to 115.1 after Federal Election called for July 2

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-May-16

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia rose 1.1 per cent to 115.1 in the week ended 15 May 2016, remaining above its long run average for the third consecutive week. The RBA’s cut to the official cash rate two weeks ago likely had a (delayed) positive impact on consumer confidence. Consumers’ views towards their current finances fell 1.8 per cent, but consumers’ views toward economic conditions in the next 12 months rose by 6.1 per cent.

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

Super limit to hit retirees, Costello says

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Original article by Sally Patten, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-May-16

Future Fund chairman and former federal treasurer Peter Costello says the superannuation policies of both the Coalition and the Australian Labor Party are unlikely to be introduced due to opposition from the Greens. He has also warned that the Government’s proposal to limit tax-free super savings to $A1.6m will not provide retirees with the amount of income it expects, as the forecasts are based on a rate of return of 5.5 per cent. In contrast, the yield on 10-year Australian government recently fell to a record low of 2.2 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Greens canned for failure to take fight to IR umpire

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Original article by Sid Maher, Mark Coultan
The Australian – Page: 6 : 18-May-16

Australian Greens MP Adam Bandt has defended the party after revelations that it did not make a submission to the Fair Work Commission on the issue of weekend penalty rates. Bandt says it is unusual for political parties to make submissions to the FWC, and he has suggested that the Opposition made a submission merely to be seen to have done something on the issue. The Greens have vowed to introduce legislation to protect weekend penalty rates if the FWC recommends reducing them.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TASMANIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

KKR lured in Fairfax break-up hard sell

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 19 & 22 : 18-May-16

Investment bank Credit Suisse is believed to have held meetings with private equity firm KKR regarding the acquisition of Fairfax Media. However, the media group itself was not involved in the talks, and KKR was not interested in a buyout. Providence Equity Partners and Hellman & Friedman are other private equity firms that could potentially be interested in Fairfax. Any buyer of the media group would most likely divest or cease publishing its print newspapers and focus on Fairfax’s digital assets, including Domain.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, KKR AND COMPANY LP, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN, DOMAIN.COM.AU, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, SEVEN MEDIA GROUP PTY LTD, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NZME, GRABONE, THE RADIO NETWORK

Cost focus puts BHP on track to raise dividend

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Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 18-May-16

Credit Suisse has upgraded its underlying earnings forecast for BHP Billiton in 2015-16 by 3.5 per cent to $A12bn, in response to the resources giant’s revised production costs for commodities such as iron ore and coal. Credit Suisse also suggests that BHP could lift its 2015-16 dividend by 10.8 per cent to $A0.25 per share. The firm has lifted its share price target for BHP stock from $A20 to $A21.5.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

$A jump dampens predictions of further rate cuts soon

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 18-May-16

The minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s May 2016 board meeting show that the central bank considered leaving rates on hold. The cash rate was cut by 25 basis points, but opinion among market watchers is divided as to the timing and extent of further monetary policy easing. Royal Bank of Canada’s Su-Lin Ong says the RBA could cut the cash rate again in June, although Capital Economics and the Commonwealth Bank expect a rate cut in August. The latter also expects another cut in November.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC