Author: roymorgansocial

Stop the presses: Kennett fears digital Age

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Chip Le Grand, Jake Mitchell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Feb-16

Fairfax Media has rejected suggestions that a restructuring of its newsrooms could result in its Sydney office assuming greater control over the editorial content of Melbourne’s "The Age". Ex-Victorian premier Jeff Kennett and a former editor of "The Age", Bruce Guthrie, have expressed concern that the changes may lead to the print edition being discontinued in favour of a digital-only business model.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP PTY LTD, BAIN AND COMPANY

Lactose intolerance on the rise among Australian women

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that four per cent of Australians aged 18+ were lactose intolerant in the year to September 2015, compared with 2.8 per cent in the year September 2011. The number of men who are lactose intolerant has risen by just 3,000 to 1.7 per cent over this period, but the number of women has risen from 3.8 per cent to 6.2 per cent. The survey also shows that women aged 25-34 have the nation’s highest incidence of lactose intolerance (8.2 per cent), followed by women from the 35-49 age bracket (6.9 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence increases to 113.6

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

The rise in Consumer Confidence to 113.6 in the week ended 14 February 2016 comes after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appeared to rule out any prospect of a GST increase to 15 per cent being taken to the Australian electorate as part of the Government’s taxation reform package. The decision to look for other means to improve the Australian taxation system has given a boost to the confidence of Australian consumers who now don’t face the prospect of higher costs for goods and services that a higher GST would bring. As school leavers return from Summer holidays the next few months will determine whether they are able to find meaningful employment in a tough economic environment and this impact on Australia’s real unemployment – now at 10.3 per cent – 1.346 million in January – will also flow through as a forward indicator to the ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Penalties on table for leave review

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Rick Wallace
The Australian – Page: 2 : 17-Feb-16

Victoria’s Industrial Relations Minister Natalie Hutchins has proposed a review of regulations governing long-service leave. Options that are canvassed in a discussion paper include allowing workers to cash out their long-service leave or take it in small amounts rather than one or two large blocks at a time. The Victorian Trades Hall Council also advocates portability of long-service leave entitlements and applying penalty rates to such leave.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOBS, TRANSPORT AND RESOURCES, VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence increases to 113.6

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia rose by 2.0 per cent to 113.6 in the week ended 14 February 2016. This follows a modest 0.2 per cent increase in the previous week and takes confidence back above its long-run average. The broad-based increase in confidence may suggest consumers are looking through the equity market weakness and shifting focus to domestic fundamentals. The sub-index on "finances compared to a year ago" has risen by 1.2 per cent, and consumers’ views on whether now is a good time to buy a major household item has risen by 2.9 per cent.

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

Negative gearing debate sparks divisions, passion

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Anne Hyland, Larry Schlesinger
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Feb-16

Mayne Pharma director Roger Corbett has urged the Australian Government to leave the negative gearing regime unchanged, arguing that it has increased the wealth of people on middle incomes. Yellow Brick Road’s Mark Bouris also opposes any change to negative gearing, warning of the impact on economic growth and the investment market. However, former Perpetual fund manager Peter Morgan and ex-Reserve Bank board member Warwick McKibbin favour the abolition of negative gearing.

CORPORATES
MAYNE PHARMA GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYX, YELLOW BRICK ROAD HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX YBR, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WAL-MART STORES INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Fairfax about-face to cost 70 jobs at NZ subsidiary

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 21 : 17-Feb-16

Fairfax Media subsidiary Pagemasters will resume responsibility for subediting and production work on the group’s Australian metropolitan newspapers. The work was shifted to Fairfax Editorial Services in New Zealand in 2014, which prompted concern among journalists about quality control issues. The latest move is aimed at reducing costs and will result in the loss of about 70 jobs at Fairfax’s New Zealand division.

CORPORATES
FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, PAGEMASTERS PTY LTD, FAIRFAX EDITORIAL SERVICES

Asciano recommends Qube bid and invokes break fee

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 17-Feb-16

Directors of listed ports and rail group Asciano have backed the $9.05bn takeover offer from a consortium headed by Qube Holdings. Asciano will pay a break fee of $A88m to rival bidder Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, whose takeover offer had previously been endorsed by the target’s board. Qube subsequently trumped Brookfield’s offer, and the Canadian suitor failed to match its bid by the deadline of 15 February 2016. However, Brookfield could still make a revised offer.

CORPORATES
ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, QUBE HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX QUB, BROOKFIELD INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS LP, GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS, CANADA PENSION PLAN INVESTMENT BOARD, CHINA INVESTMENT CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, PSP INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, GOVERNMENT OF SINGAPORE INVESTMENT CORPORATION PTE LTD, PATRICK CORPORATION LIMITED, PACIFIC NATIONAL PTY LTD

Why this market isn’t like the bloodiest days of 2008

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 17-Feb-16

The slump in global sharemarkets in 2016 has prompted comparisons with the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. However, analysis shows that many Australian blue-chip stocks remain significantly above the lows recorded at the height of the GFC. National Australia Bank is the only one of the "big four" whose share price had not reached its pre-GFC high when the market peaked in April 2015. In contrast, energy stocks – which generally rallied during the GFC – have fallen sharply since April.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 20 INDEX, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, LEHMAN BROTHERS INCORPORATED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, CARNEGIE ASSET MANAGEMENT FONDSMAEGLERSELSKAB AB

Ministers told: stop spending

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Dennis Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Feb-16

Treasurer Scott Morrison will use a National Press Club speech on 17 February 2016 to stress the need to ensure that government spending does not exceed revenue. He will argue that increased taxation should not be used to lift revenue above expenditure, and caution against justifying new spending measures by offsetting them against savings achieved elsewhere. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has officially ruled out an increase in the GST but says action must be taken on the issue of income tax "bracket creep".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY