Author: roymorgansocial

Healthy Sigma set for acquisitions

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 21 : 24-Mar-16

Australian-listed Sigma Pharmaceuticals has posted a 2015 net profit of $A50.5m, which is 4.3 per cent lower than previously, although revenue rose by 10 per cent to $A3.5bn. CEO Mark Hooper notes that the proportion of Sigma’s revenue from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has fallen in recent years due to the group’s push to diversify its sources of income. He has flagged acquisitions and identified expansion into the hospital pharmacy sector as a key growth strategy.

CORPORATES
SIGMA PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED – ASX SIP

ALP & L-NP now too close to call as electors react to Government forcing Senate voting changes last week as Turnbull today recalls Parliament in April for Double Dissolution Election showdown

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Original article by Gary Morgan
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 22-Mar-16

This week’s Morgan Poll shows that the ALP (50.5 per cent, up 3.5 per cent) is now just in front of the L-NP (49.5 per cent, down 3.5 per cent) on a two-party preferred basis, after a chaotic week in which the Coalition Government with the help of the Greens forced contentious electoral changes through the Senate against the wishes of the ALP and the cross-benchers, who face losing their seats under the new system. Following on from last week’s Senate voting reform, Turnbull has turned up the heat on the Senate cross-benchers by deciding to recall Parliament in four weeks’ time to debate the reintroduction of the Australian Building & Construction Commission (ABCC). Turnbull has explicitly told the Senate cross-benchers to either pass the Bill restoring the ABCC or face a Double Dissolution Election on 2 July. To facilitate the potential calling of a Double Dissolution Election – which would have to be done by 11 May – Turnbull has also brought forward this year’s Federal Budget by a week, to the first Tuesday in May. Although the restoration of the ABCC is being used as a potential trigger to call an early election, the election will be fought on economic issues and taxation.

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Return ABCC to save ourselves: business

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 23-Mar-16

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox will use a National Press Club speech to highlight the importance of reinstating the Australian Building & Construction Commission. He will argue that a proposed construction code is necessary to protect companies from unlawful conduct by unions. Master Builders Australia CEO Wilhelm Harnisch has also expressed concern that at present unions can use threats of industrial action to secure pay rises for the members.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

City’s three-year house price surge at an end

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Original article by Samantha Hutchinson
The Australian – Page: 2 : 23-Mar-16

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that there was a 1.6 per cent decline in Sydney house prices during the December 2015 quarter. Darwin was the only other capital city to record a decline in house prices, while Hobart posted the highest growth in prices, at 2.8 per cent. Housing industry executives have identified various factors as possible causes for slowing house price growth, including new restrictions on lending to property investors and a surge in house construction activity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN POPULATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE

News move to increase stake in Foxtel will trigger ACCC interest

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 23-Mar-16

News Corporation would have a 51 per cent stake in the merged Foxtel-Fox Sports if the deal and a proposed IPO of Telstra’s stake in Foxtel proceeds. A second option would be for News to buy out Telstra’s 50 per cent stake in Foxtel. Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims says any move by News to increase its stake in Foxtel would attract scrutiny. However, he notes that the media group already has significant influence at Foxtel.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, SKY PLC, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Miners feel pinch of dollar, oil switch

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 23-Mar-16

The Australian dollar has risen by about 10 per cent so far in 2016. This has offset the benefits of the rebound in the prices of key resources commodities, which are typically priced in US dollars. Mining companies have also been hit by increased fuel costs due to the rally in the crude oil price. Tom Price of Morgan Stanley says the rise in the value of the currency and the crude oil price may prompt more resources groups to reduce production or mothball mines.

CORPORATES
MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence has modest fall to 116.0

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Mar-16

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia fell 0.3 per cent to 116.0 in the week ended 20 March 2016, following a strong 4.5 per cent rise over the previous fortnight. Confidence is now sitting three per cent above its long run average, and the four-week moving average is on an upward trend. The sub-index on "economic conditions in the next 12 months" rose 3.3 per cent and is now sitting just a touch below its long run average. The sub-index on "economic conditions in the next 5 years" rose 2.7 per cent.

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence has modest fall to 116.0

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Original article by Gary Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Mar-16

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence is virtually unchanged this week at 116.0, and Roy Morgan Government Confidence has increased slightly to 103.5, both signs that Australians believe the economy is going well, which augurs well for the Turnbull Government heading towards this year’s federal election. However, support for the L-NP Government has fallen in recent weeks – this week’s Morgan Poll shows the ALP 50.5 per cent cf. L-NP 49.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis – as the Government introduced reforms to change the Senate voting system and make it impossible for micro-parties to get elected to the Senate. In addition to forcing these contentious reforms through the Senate, Turnbull has gone back on his promises of tax cuts and this has resulted in a drop in support for the Government. Although Turnbull is using the restoration of the Australian Building & Construction Commission as a potential trigger to call an early election, the election will be fought on economic issues and taxation.

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

Consumer satisfaction with big four banks dips again in February

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Mar-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 fell to 80.5 per cent in the six months to February 2016, compared with 80.6 per cent in January. The Commonwealth Bank continued to have the highest customer satisfaction rating of the four major banks, at 82 per cent. Meanwhile, many smaller banks had higher customer satisfaction ratings than the "big four", with Beyond Bank Australia boasting a satisfaction rating of 95.4 per cent. Smaller lenders also had higher satisfaction ratings among home loan customers, with ING Direct topping the list with a satisfaction rating of 94.6 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, BEYOND BANK AUSTRALIA, ING DIRECT, TEACHERS MUTUAL BANK LIMITED, HERITAGE BANK LIMITED – ASX HBS, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, BENDIGO BANK, BANK OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ME BANK

Ore glut ‘vandalism’ over

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal, Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 19 & 20 : 23-Mar-16

Rio Tinto’s iron ore production in 2015 was 20 million tonnes lower than the group had forecast, while BHP Billiton’s output was in line with the previous year. They had had ramped up production in recent years, attracting criticism from Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest. He believes that the period of oversupply has now ended, but says it resulted in job losses in Australia and over-production by Chinese steelmakers. Forrest has also suggested that the recent resignation of Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh may have been due to a change to its iron ore strategy.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA