Author: roymorgansocial

UK executive tipped to lead ABC

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Dec-15

The former controller of BBC One, Jay Hunt, has downplayed reports that she is a leading candidate to succeed Mark Scott as MD of the ABC. Hunt has been the chief creative officer at the UK’s Channel 4 since 2010, and says she has no immediate plans to leave the public broadcaster. ABC chairman Jim Spigelman is believed to favour Kim Williams as the new MD, although some ABC directors have reservations about appointing Williams to the role.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, CHANNEL 4 TELEVISION, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SCREEN AUSTRALIA, EGON ZEHNDER INTERNATIONAL, BRIGHTSPARK TV, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

Australian Roy Morgan Business Confidence still positive in November but showing signs of "cooling off"

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Dec-15

A Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey has found that Australian business confidence fell by 0.6 points to 118.7 in November 2015, but remained above the five-year average of 116.9. This decline in confidence was probably to be expected, given the big increase in the two months following Malcolm Turnbull becoming Prime Minister, which saw business confidence increase by 16.3 per cent. The small drop in business confidence in November was a result of only marginal declines in both the five-year economic outlook and the view that the next 12 months would be a good time to invest in growing the business. However, both of these measures remain at positive levels and are above the five-year average.

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

Woodside drops Oil Search bid

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Original article by Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 20 : 9-Dec-15

Woodside Petroleum has advised that it will no longer pursue a $A10.2bn takeover bid for Oil Search. Woodside had never convinced investors and the Papua New Guinea Government – which has a 10.1 per cent stake in Oil Search – of its one-for-four scrip offer’s merits. Suhas Nayak of Allan Gray notes that Oil Search could not be classified as a "distressed asset", but says Woodside’s relatively healthy balance sheet means it can pursue such assets if appropriate opportunities arise.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence bounces back to 116.3 (up 3.5pts)

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Dec-15

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia rose by 3.1 per cent to 116.3 in the week ended 6 December 2015. Confidence has now retraced most of the falls seen in the last three weeks, and levels are now back well above their long-run average. The strength was seen across all sub-indices. The sub-index on consumers’ views towards their current finances rose by 5.4 per cent, while the sub-index on economic conditions in the next 12 months rose by 3.3 per cent.

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

Business pushes PM on IR, tax

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Original article by Ben Potter, Ewin Hannan, Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 11 : 9-Dec-15

Business Council of Australia president Catherine Livingstone has used the Workplace and Productivity Summit to call on the Federal Government to pursue changes to the industrial relations and tax regimes. However, economist Ross Garnaut told the summit – which has been organised by "The Australian Financial Review" – that there is no need for tax cuts in sectors that face limited competition. GE Australia CEO Geoff Culbert and ACTU secretary Dave Oliver were among the other speakers during the first day of the summit.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, GE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RESOURCES INSTITUTE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, AIRTASKER PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Show of force as CFMEU fights back against blackmail charges

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Original article by Lucille Keen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 9-Dec-15

Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union officials John Setka and Shaun Reardon will return to court on 15 March 2016, after being granted bail on blackmail charges. Several thousand CFMEU members convened in the Melbourne CBD to express their support for Setka and Reardon, who are accused of attempting to blackmail building materials group Boral. They have pleaded not guilty.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, GROCON PTY LTD, ACTU, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

BHP, Rio routed amid ore slump

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Original article by Business Spectator
The Australian – Page: Online : 9-Dec-15

The price of benchmark iron ore for immediate delivery to China’s port of Tianjin has fallen by 0.3 per cent to $US38.80 per tonne, compared with US38.90 previously. The iron ore price has fallen for eight consecutive trading sessions, while it has reached a fresh 10-year low in each of the last six trading sessions. Australian-listed iron ore producers were heavily sold down on 8 December 2015, and the bearish sentiment toward BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto has continued in overnight trading in London.

CORPORATES
PORT OF TIANJIN, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, VALE SA, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, MOUNT GIBSON IRON LIMITED – ASX MGX, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC

Coles MD says suppliers living on Treasure Island

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 17 : 9-Dec-15

Coles MD John Durkan has criticised global suppliers of brand-name groceries for charging excessive prices in Australia, a concern he first raised in 2008. He concedes that consumers must be expected to pay a reasonable price for groceries, but he says cost increases in Australia should not be higher than in other countries. Durkan adds that more consumers will switch to supermarkets’ private-label products if the cost of branded groceries keeps rising.

CORPORATES
COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COLES GROUP LIMITED, ARNOTT’S BISCUITS LIMITED, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, SCHWEPPES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND GROCERY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

No slow down in 2016 for hot M&A volumes

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 9-Dec-15

Data from Dealogic shows that mergers and acquisitions activity involving Australian companies has risen by 80 per cent so far in 2015, to $US124.9bn ($A170.9m). This includes 23 deals worth $US1bn ($A1.4bn). Alex Cartel of Deutsche Bank forecasts further growth in M&A activity in 2016, while Gareth Cope of Rothschild Australia says the country remains highly attractive to offshore investors. Meanwhile, equity capital market issuance has reached its highest level since 2009, at more than $US42bn.

CORPORATES
DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, NM ROTHSCHILD AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, SCEPTER PARTNERS, BROADSPECTRUM LIMITED – ASX BRS, TRANSGRID, VEDA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VED, EQUIFAX INCORPORATED, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, CHEVRON CORPORATION, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, TPG CAPITAL LP, THE CARLYLE GROUP

Field of streams: the sports broadcasts that could win over Australian Netflix and YouTube audiences

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Dec-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 80 per cent of Australians aged 14+ watch sport on television. The survey, which was carried out in the six months to September 2015, also shows that 77 per cent of Australians who have a Netflix subscription almost always or occasionally watch at least one sport on TV, as do 79 per cent of those who visit YouTube. Meanwhile, Netflix subscribers are 25 per cent more likely than the average Australian to watch Super Rugby, and 18 per cent more likely to watch FIFA World Cup soccer. Visitors to YouTube have an above-average interest in soccer, being around 20 per cent more likely than average to watch the English Premier League, FIFA World Cup or A-League.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, SUPER RUGBY, FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD