Author: roymorgansocial

Tech Mpire digital ad firm soaring two weeks after listing

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Original article by Yolanda Redrup
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 21-Jul-15

Australian-listed Tech Mpire has made a profit of $A2.9m for June 2015, and a $A9.04m profit for the first half of the calendar year. The digital performance-based advertising group debuted on the sharemarket earlier in July, following a $A6m IPO, and currently boasts about 100 clients. Founder Zhenya Tsvetnenko says the company’s business model means it has a high client retention rate.

CORPORATES
TECH MPIRE LIMITED – ASX TMP, DIGITALBTC, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Support for Labour/Greens coalition overtakes National for first time since New Zealand Election

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 17-Jul-15

A New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention, which was carried out in July 2015, shows that support for the ruling National Party has fallen by 6.5 per cent to 43 per cent since May. Support for the Labour Party has risen by six per cent to 32 per cent, and is now at its highest level since March 2014. Likewise, support for a potential Labour/Greens alliance has risen by six per cent to 45 per cent, which is its highest level since May 2014. Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has fallen by 17.5 points to 118 in July, while New Zealand’s GDP growth slowed to just 0.2 per cent in the March quarter, which is its slowest rate of growth for two years.

CORPORATES
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

Strike threat poses new risk to $73b Gorgon gas project

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 20-Jul-15

The Fair Work Commission has given the green light for unions to hold a ballot of Gorgon LNG workers, prompting concerns that strike action will lead to further delays in completing the $US54bn ($A73bn) project. The protected ballot of CB&I employees follows the failure of negotiations over a new enterprise agreement. Chevron anticipates that exports from the Gorgon venture will commence by the end of 2015.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, CB&I INCORPORATED, CHEVRON CORPORATION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC

QSuper’s skew strikes right balance

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 20-Jul-15

Data from Chant West shows that QSuper’s balanced option achieved a return of 12.3 per cent for 2014-15, topping the performance charts. Brad Holzberger, the superannuation fund’s chief investment officer, attributes QSuper’s performance to its portfolio’s high exposure to long-term sovereign bonds and its lower allocation toward domestic shares. The MTAA My AutoSuper fund delivered a return of 11.7 per cent, while all of the balanced funds in the top 10 achieved a double-digit return.

CORPORATES
CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD, QSUPER LIMITED, MOTOR TRADES ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA SUPERANNUATION FUND PTY LTD, STATEWIDE SUPERANNUATION PTY LTD, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, VICSUPER PTY LTD, UNISUPER LIMITED, HOST-PLUS, INTRUST SUPER FUND, MLC LIMITED, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, REST SUPER PTY LTD

HILDA report trod on some powerful toes

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Original article by Tim Dodd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 & 22 : 20-Jul-15

The Group of Eight universities have disputed the validity of Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) research which suggests that graduates of less prestigious universities have better salary outcomes. Ironically, the research was carried out by an organisation that is affiliated with the Group of Eight’s Melbourne University. Such a situation would not arise in government or big business, where such adverse findings would most likely be quashed. The HILDA research also highlights the need for universities to be properly funded and managed.

CORPORATES
THE GROUP OF EIGHT LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY NETWORK, INNOVATIVE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES AUSTRALIA

Nine’s the one again when it comes to news

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Original article by Michael Bodey
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 20-Jul-15

The Seven Network boasts a 30 per cent audience share so far in the 2015 ratings year, compared with 31.2 per cent at the same time in 2014. Nine Network’s audience share has fallen to 27.6 per cent, while Ten Network has increased its share. However, Nine has won every week of the prime-time news ratings battle in both Sydney and Melbourne. Nine’s evening news bulletin has benefited from a strong lead from "Millionaire Hot Seat", while "A Current Affair" is dominating the 7pm timeslot.

CORPORATES
SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, TWITTER INCORPORATED

Turnbull to talk up fee cuts

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 20-Jul-15

The CEOs of free-to-air TV networks will be able to press their case for a reduction in licence fees when they meet with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on 23 July 2015. The annual licence fee is currently set at 4.5 per cent of each network’s revenue, but they believe that the fee should be reduced or scrapped due to competition from new media players such as streaming video providers. Free TV Australia also argue that Australia’s licence fees are higher than in countries such as the UK.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Housing glut by 2018, BIS report warns

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 20-Jul-15

A BIS Shrapnel report forecasts an oversupply of at least 12,000 dwellings in Australia by 2018. The firm expects just 164,000 new homes to be built in 2018, compared with an estimated 210,000 in 2014-15. However, demand for housing in New South Wales will continue to exceed supply in coming years, while there will be an oversupply of apartments in Victoria and houses in Western Australia.

CORPORATES
BIS SHRAPNEL PTY LTD, HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

PureProfile raises $12 million to buy Sparc ahead of IPO

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Original article by Rose Powell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 20-Jul-15

Market research firm PureProfile expects to post revenue of $A20.6m in 2015 and $A28.1m in 2016. The firm is slated to list on the Australian sharemarket on 29 July 2015, following a $A12m IPO. Proceeds of the float will be used to expand the PureProfile business, which is based on paying consumers to complete surveys online. PureProfile will also acquire a media trading company called Sparc and open an office in New Zealand.

CORPORATES
PUREPROFILE LIMITED – ASX PPL, SPARC MEDIA, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, FITNESS FIRST AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BLUE OCEAN EQUITIES PTY LTD

Cheap debt to buoy Rio, BHP dividends, but for limited time only

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 20-Jul-15

BHP Billiton’s progressive dividend policy is expected to cost it about $US6.5bn ($A8.7bn) in fiscal 2015, while Rio Tinto faces a $US4.1bn impost by maintaining the policy. Ben Davis of Liberum Capital argues that the resources giants should finance their progressive dividend policies via debt, saying the low cost of accessing debt markets will make this a viable strategy for several years. He notes that some investors would sell out of BHP and Rio if they adopted a dividend payout ratio.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, LIBERUM CAPITAL LIMITED, GLENCORE PLC, ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC