Author: roymorgansocial

Netflix meets its match in blocking wars

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Original article by Chris Griffith
The Australian – Page: 3 : 22-Jan-16

Netflix has started to block Australian customers from accessing content that is exclusively available to people in the US. It is estimated that prior to its local launch in 2015, about 340,000 Australians accessed Netflix in the US using an unblocking service or virtual private network, and many still do so as some Netflix content is not available in Australia. Unblocking services are already working on ways to bypass Netflix’s new policy.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, UFLIX.COM.AU, UNBLOCK-US.COM

Long-term nature of superannuation has negative impact on engagement

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Jan-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 30.3 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 64 consider retirement too far away to plan for. The survey, which was carried out in the year to October 2015, also shows that70 per cent of Australians up to the age of 21 feel that retirement is too far away to plan, compared with 31.4 per cent of those in the 35-39 age group and 16.6 per cent of those in the critical pre-retirement years of 50 to 54. Meanwhile, 38 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 64 agree that they should plan for their financial future but procrastinate and give other things priority.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Gender equality one commodity avoiding the rout

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Original article by Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 17 : 21-Jan-16

BHP Billiton’s vice-president of strategy and performance, Laura Tyler, says there has been a significant change in the mining sector’s attitude toward women in the industry since she began her career. CEO Andrew Mackenzie has implemented initiatives aimed at increasing gender diversity within BHP, where the proportion of senior positions that are held by women has increased from eight per cent to 17 per cent over the last five years.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32

Sydney air passengers hit record

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Original article by Jamie Freed
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 21-Jan-16

New figures show that Sydney Airport’s passenger throughput rose by three per cent in 2015, to a record 39.656 million. The number of domestic passengers rose by 2.3 per cent to 25.9 million, while international passenger numbers grew by 4.3 per cent to 13.7 million. The airport benefited from an increase in airlines’ capacity. Meanwhile, a total of 33.1 million passengers passed through Melbourne Airport during 2015.

CORPORATES
SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, MELBOURNE AIRPORT, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Lowy to tap into shop-top living

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Original article by Turi Condon
The Australian – Page: 3 : 21-Jan-16

Westfield Corporation intends to build apartments above or near its shopping centres. Steven Lowy, co-CEO of the Australian-listed group, said Westfield has received approval to build more than 3,000 apartments at its Westfield London, Stratford City and Croydon shopping centres in the UK. It has also gained approval for more than 300 apartments in San Diego.

CORPORATES
WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, GOODMAN GROUP – ASX GMG

Greyhound races most popular among Generation Y

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Jan-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 18 per cent of Australians aged 18+ gambled on at least one horse race (excluding harness trots) in the past year. Their average age is almost 49, which is a bit older than the national mean. The survey, which was carried out in the year to September 2015, also shows that 3.2 per cent of Australian adults bet on greyhounds, and their average age is not quite 41. Meanwhile, the 25-34 age group is 80 per cent more likely than average to bet on dog races, and makes up the largest bloc of greyhound bettors (34.2 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

AFIC hunts for quality mid-cap investments

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 21-Jan-16

The Australian Foundation Investment Company has posted a 2015-16 interim profit of $A145.5m, which is 10.3 per cent higher than previously. The listed investment company’s revenue was 7.2 per cent higher at $A156.6m, although its investment portfolio generated a loss of 1.3 per cent for the half-year. The group has reduced its exposure to large banks and retailers, and increased its holdings of stocks such as Qube Holdings, Suncorp Group and Treasury Wine Estates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATION INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED – ASX AFI, QUBE HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX QUB, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, CHALLENGER LIMITED – ASX CGF, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MAINFREIGHT LIMITED, INTEGRAL DIAGNOSTICS LIMITED – ASX IDX, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 ACCUMULATION INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

ICAC clears Sinodinos over corruption claims

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Original article by Sharri Markson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 21-Jan-16

The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has found no evidence of corruption involving Senator Arthur Sinodinos. The ICAC investigated claims of funds being fraudulently donated to the Liberal Party by Sydney Water, through Australian Water Holdings. The anti-corruption body stated that no public official was involved in the case.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION, SYDNEY WATER CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN WATER HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

BHP’s biggest question is its $US6.6b payout

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 23 : 21-Jan-16

Iron ore was the only one of BHP Billiton’s "four pillars" to post an increase in production during the six months to December 2015. The resources giant expects to achieve its 2015-16 production guidance for coal, copper and petroleum, although iron ore output is likely to be lower than forecast as a result of the Samarco disaster in Brazil. Meanwhile, BHP’s progressive dividend policy is expected to come under scrutiny again, and UBS forecasts that its interim dividend will be slashed by 50 per cent to $A0.31 per share.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Cricket’s Big Bash hits a six for Ten

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-Jan-16

The Ten Network’s current deal to broadcast the domestic Twenty20 tournament is worth $A20m a year. However, some experts believe that the next Big Bash League (BBL) rights deal could potentially be worth between $A50m and $A60m a year, due to the success of Ten’s coverage. Each match in the 2015-16 BBL series has attracted an average audience of 1.013 million viewers, and Ten’s audience share has increased by 15 per cent year-on-year.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE