Author: roymorgansocial

NZ voting intention virtually unchanged in November before controversy this week after PM John Key accuses Opposition Leader Andrew Little of backing rapists

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 13-Nov-15

A New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention has found that support for the ruling National Party has fallen by one per cent to 49 per cent in November 2015. Support for the Labour Party has risen by 0.5 per cent to 29.5 per cent, while support for a potential Labour/Greens alliance has risen by one per cent to 41.5 per cent. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that the New Zealand Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has risen by 9.5 points to 131.5 in November, while the ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence Rating is up 7.8 points at 122.7.

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MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY, UNITED FUTURE PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, ACT NEW ZEALAND, INTERNET PARTY, MANA PARTY

Optus sets bar high for Premier League games

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 13-Nov-15

Singtel Optus has posted a 2015-16 interim net profit of $A426m net profit, which is eight per cent higher than previously. EBITDA and revenue were up 7.8 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, Optus is yet to finalise the packages and prices for its coverage of English Premier League (EPL) matches, for which it recently gained the exclusive Australian rights. CEO Allen Lew has stressed that Optus’s live streams of EPL matches will be in high definition.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FETCHTV PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Southern Cross, Nine in $2.2bn merger talks

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Original article by Christine Lacy, Damon Kitney, Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 13-Nov-15

Nine Entertainment Company has held merger discussions with regional broadcaster Southern Cross Media Group, and sources have suggested that there is an even chance of a deal proceeding. The "reach rule" would prohibit a full merger at present, but the deal being discussed is said to involve Nine acquiring Southern Cross’ radio stations immediately. Nine would subsequently buy Southern Cross’s TV stations if and when cross-media ownership rules are relaxed.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MI9, NINEMSN PTY LTD, 2DAY FM AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TRIPLE M CORPORATION PTY LTD, THE HIT NETWORK, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, CVC ASIA PACIFIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, LUMINIS PARTNERS PTY LTD

2.677 million Australians have Netflix as subscriptions surpass one million homes

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Nov-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that the number of Australian homes with a Netflix subscription rose by 11.4 per cent in October 2015 to 1,039,000. Some 2.677 million Australians aged 14+ now live in a home with a Netflix subscription. The survey also shows that 19.3 per cent of Australians bought a DVD in an average three-month period during the six months to September 2015, compared with 20.6 per cent in an average three months in the six months to September 2014. Likewise, the rate of downloading TV shows or movies has fallen from 10.8 per cent a year ago to 9.1 per cent in the six months following the launch of Netflix in Australia.`

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

‘Set and forget’: a new era of women’s contraception

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Nov-15

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 47.9 per cent of Australian women between the ages of 18 and 49 now use some form of contraception. The survey also shows that 44.5 per cent of women who use contraception reported taking the Pill as their primary method of birth control in the 12 months to June 2015, compared with 49 per cent in the 12 months to June 2008. The proportion of women using condoms as their primary contraceptive method has fallen from 36.6 per cent to 34.4 per cent over the same period. Meanwhile, the use of IUDs and hormonal implants has risen to 9.9 per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively (up from 5.1 per cent and 5.7 per cent seven years ago).

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

BHP falls erase China boom gains

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Original article by Amanda Saunders, Matthew Stevens, Neil Chenoweth, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 12 : 13-Nov-15

Shares in BHP Billiton shed 1.6 per cent to close at $A20.60 on 12 November 2015, which is the stock’s lowest level in almost 10 years. The recent rout means BHP stock is trading at around the same level it was at prior to the start of the China-driven commodities boom. Meanwhile, the Queensland Government has demanded unpaid royalties of $A288m arising from the use of Singapore as a marketing hub, while BHP also faces massive costs associated with the tailings dam disaster at its joint venture Samarco iron ore project in Brazil.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, VALE SA, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, SUPREME COURT OF QUEENSLAND, BM ALLIANCE COAL OPERATIONS PTY LTD, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, BHP BILLITON MARKETING AG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, PENGANA CAPITAL LIMITED

CEOs rapped for ‘lazy’ $20b rights splurge

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Original article by Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 13-Nov-15

Clime Asset Management’s John Abernethy says retail investors have questioned whether some recent capital raisings by large Australian companies were necessary. More than $A20bn has been raised by banks and other big companies in recent months, which Abernethy describes as "excessive and expensive". Santos shares were heavily sold down on 12 November 2015, in response to the oil and gas producer’s capital raising.

CORPORATES
CLIME ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, 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, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Glenn McGrath bowls into carbon farming

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 13-Nov-15

The Clean Energy Regulator has granted $A557 million to 131 carbon reduction projects via the second auction from the Emissions Reduction Fund. Former cricketer Glenn McGrath is among the recipients of funding. He has agreed to grow trees on his rural property in north-west New South Wales to offset carbon emissions. Wesfarmers, Consolidated Pastoral Company, AGL Energy and Pacific National are among bigger recipients of funding for carbon reduction programs.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY REGULATOR, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, CONSOLIDATED PASTORAL COMPANY PTY LTD, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, PACIFIC NATIONAL PTY LTD, CLIMATE FRIENDLY PTY LTD, REPUTEX AUSTRALIA PACIFIC PTY LTD

Company insolvencies ‘may rise 10pc’

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Original article by Karen Maley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 13-Nov-15

Ludovic Subran, the chief economist at credit insurance group Euler Hermes, has warned that the growing incidence of corporate insolvencies in emerging markets will have a flow-on effect globally in 2016. Euler Hermes forecasts that Australia will record five per cent growth in insolvencies during 2016, following an increase of around 10 per cent in 2015. Insolvencies in China are forecast to rise by 25 per cent in 2015 and 20 per cent in 2016.

CORPORATES
EULER HERMES, ALLIANZ AG HOLDING

Uncertainty clouds fate of blue-chip dividends

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 13-Nov-15

Data from Morningstar shows that the average gross dividend yield for S&P/ASX 20 stocks has risen to a seven year-high of seven per cent. Meanwhile, three of the top-20 stocks have a 12-month gross yield in excess of 10 per cent, according to Bloomberg. ST Wong of Prime Value Asset Management says the top-20 stocks should be able to maintain their dividend payouts during the next year. However, some analysts believe that banks and resources groups may need to reduce their dividends.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 20 INDEX, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, BLOOMBERG LP, PRIME VALUE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WATERMARK FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD