Author: roymorgansocial

$A overshoots as iron ore export volumes up again

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Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 10-Sep-15

The Australian dollar is trading at around $US0.70, having recently fallen to $US0.6896. However, Annette Beacher of TD Securities argues that the rebound in the iron ore price means the currency should be trading at the $US0.76 level. Meanwhile, Beacher says the Reserve Bank is likely to maintain the cash rate at two per cent in the wake of the currency’s recent downturn.

CORPORATES
TD SECURITIES, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, GROUP OF TEN (G-10)

Abbott to bomb Syria, take in more refugees

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Sep-15

The Australian Government has committed to increasing the nation’s intake of refugees from Syria’s civil war. This is expected to be in addition to the 13,750 refugees that the Coalition has previously agreed to accept each year. The Government has indicated that persecuted religious minorities such as Christians and Yazidis will receive priority, although some politicians have argued that religion should not be a factor. Meanwhile, Australian fighter jets stationed in the Middle East will soon commence airstrikes in Syria.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, UNITED NATIONS. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES

Visa amnesty needed for all victims

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Original article by Stephen Clibborn
The Age – Page: 44 : 9-Sep-15

The Australian Government is said to be considering providing an amnesty to foreign students who have been allegedly cheated out of wages by 7-Eleven. While the Government should grant an amnesty to international students, it also needs to take action on the exploitation of all foreign workers by dodgy employers. Data from the Fair Work Ombudsman shows that migrant workers on temporary visas are also being underpaid by employers in many sectors of the economy. Any amnesty should apply to all of these employees.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Antidepressants may harm a healthy brain

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Original article by Jill Margo
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 42 : 9-Sep-15

A survey by the OECD in 2013 found that Australia boasts the second-highest use of antidepressant drugs per capital among 33 nations. New medical research suggests that antidepressant drugs might significant affect the areas of the human brain that regulate a person’s mood and memory. Previous research has found that people who suffer from depression generally have smaller volumes of these areas of the brain, but the new research may have implications for the use of antidepressants to treat other conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

CORPORATES
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, BLACK DOG INSTITUTE

Wheat production tipped to defy El Nino

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 9-Sep-15

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural & Resource Economics & Science expects the nation’s 2015-16 wheat crop to be about 25 million tonnes. It had previously forecast that wheat production would be 23.6 million tonnes. Paul Deane of the ANZ Bank says the wheat crop is likely to be within the range of 24 million to 25 million tonnes, but stresses that the exact figure will depend on good rainfall in September 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND SCIENCES, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, AUSTRALIA. BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY, GRAINCORP LIMITED – ASX GNC

Supermarket loyalty: what’s that?

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

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 77 per cent of Australian grocery buyers visit at least two different supermarkets in an average four weeks. The survey, which was carried out in the year to March 2015, also shows that IGA has the most loyal customers, with 30% of people who mainly shop at IGA only shopping there during any given four-week period. Grocery-buyers who mainly shop at Woolworths/Safeway are the second-most likely (25 per cent) to stick with their number one supermarket, marginally ahead of Coles shoppers (24 per cent). Despite its increasing overall market share, ALDI has a much lower proportion of exclusive shoppers (seven per cent). Meanwhile, seven per cent of grocery buyers said they shopped at all four major supermarkets.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, IGA, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AUSTRALIAN SAFEWAY STORES PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD

Dump Masters for HOME, Woolies told

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 9-Sep-15

The Masters Home Improvement joint venture between Woolworths and US-based Lowe’s has made a total loss of $A604m over the last four years. Although Woolworths still expects Masters to become profitable at some stage, DGC Advisory’s Geoff Dart believes that Masters needs to reposition its business to focus on home finishing products such as paint and carpets. He notes that hardware giant Bunnings boasts only 2-3 per cent of this market.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LOWE’S COMPANIES INCORPORATED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SUPER CHEAP AUTO, BOB JANE T-MARTS PTY LTD, REPCO CORPORATION LIMITED, BEAUREPAIRES, TYRE MARKETERS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Trolley wars a boon for suppliers

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

Australian consumers are making more frequent trips to supermarkets rather than doing a major grocery buy each week. Supermarket operators have responded to the trend by deploying smaller shopping trolleys and reducing the cycle for upgrading their fleet of trolleys to every 3-4 years. This in turn has benefited companies that supply shopping trolleys, such as QHDC Australia. The company’s Chinese subsidiary manufactures trolleys for retailers in Australia, the US and several Asian countries.

CORPORATES
QHDC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SUZHOU QDHC METAL PRODUCTS, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED

Woodside’s cheap trick

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Original article by Perry Williams, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Sep-15

Shares in Oil Search closed 17.4 per cent higher at $A7.90 on 8 September 2015, in response to an $A11.6bn takeover bid from Woodside Petroleum. The offer comprises one Woodside share for every four shares in Oil Search, which values the bid at $A7.65 per share based on current share prices. However, Credit Suisse believes that Woodside would need to lift its offer to around $A10 per share to gain Oil Search’s support for the bid. Woodside shares were $A0.92 lower at $A29.66.

CORPORATES
OIL SEARCH LIMITED – ASX OSH, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, PAPUA NEW GUINEA. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, BG GROUP PLC, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, GRESHAM PARTNERS LIMITED, HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ALLENS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence down 6.6pts to 106.7

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

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia fell by 6.6 points to 106.7 in the week ended 6 September 2015, reaching its lowest level since July 2014. This follows three weeks where confidence remained surprisingly resilient in the face of financial market volatility, holding up above its long-run average. However, consumers clearly remain sensitive towards bad news in Australia, notably last week’s newsflow around Australia’s weak economic growth. The subindexes on economic conditions fell by 5.7 per cent and household finances fell by 4.5 per cent.

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