Author: roymorgansocial

QIC strikes $1 billion infrastructure deal

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 21-May-15

QIC will invest nearly $A1bn in infrastructure assets on behalf of the California Public Employees Retirement System. Australia and New Zealand will be the main focus of the investment portfolio, including transport, energy and utility assets, although QIC will also seek assets in Asian countries. The US pension fund boasts some $A300bn worth of assets, while QIC’s infrastructure portfolio is worth $A5.8bn.

CORPORATES
QIC LIMITED, CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, JP MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED, QUEENSLAND MOTORWAYS LIMITED, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, EPIC ENERGY PTY LTD, PORT OF BRISBANE, BRISBANE AIRPORT, WESTLINK MOTORWAY LIMITED

Woolworths faces $1b hit from price cuts

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 20-May-15

Morgan Stanley estimates that Aldi’s private-label grocery products cost 27 per cent less than Woolworths’ Select brand and six per cent less than Coles Group’s home brand. However, Aldi products cost 21 per cent more than Woolworths’ entry-level Homebrand. Tom Kierath of Morgan Stanley warns that Woolworths’ earnings could fall by between 5.09 per cent and 33 per cent if it reduces the prices of its private-label products to boost its competitiveness.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence: Budget Boosts Confidence in the Economy

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-May-15

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia rose by 3.6 per cent to 114.6 in the week ended 17 May 2015, to the highest level since early November 2014. Confidence is up a cumulative 5.4 per cent over the last fortnight, suggesting a more positive reaction to the Federal Government’s Budget and the interest rate cut in May. Budget measures aimed at households and micro businesses were likely key reasons for the lift in confidence. This is in marked contrast to 2014, when a number of unpopular tightening measures saw confidence plunge to 99.3 in the weeks following the Budget.

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

Roy Morgan Research partners with AdNear to bring Helix Personas to real-time, location-based mobile marketing

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-May-15

AdNear and Roy Morgan Research have announced an exclusive partnership that enables the latter’s Helix Personas segmentation tool to be targeted on over 11 million mobile devices across Australia and New Zealand. Marketers will be able to choose a Persona and then target them at specific times and locations, significantly extending their reach beyond traditional media. Media agencies and brand advertisers can now identify the optimal locations and creative strategies to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time. This unique capability helps brands integrate their online and offline campaigns around audiences and optimise their spends across traditional and digital media.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, ADNEAR PTE LTD

Revived Vodafone sets its sights on small business growth

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 20-May-15

Vodafone Hutchison Australia increased its revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, which is the first time since 2010 that the telco’s revenue has risen. CFO James Marsh is upbeat about Vodafone’s outlook, forecasting that revenue and customer numbers will continue to increase. He says the telco will seek to build a greater share of the small and medium enterprise market, while it also hopes to re-enter the wholesale mobile services sector.

CORPORATES
VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VODAFONE GROUP PLC, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, HUTCHISON WHAMPOA LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, STAN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, SPOTIFY LIMITED

Banks cut deeper into deposit rates

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Original article by Clancy Yeates
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 20-May-15

Australian banks have reduced the interest rate on some savings accounts by the full 25 basis point reduction in the cash rate in May 2015. However, some banks have reduced their mortgage interest rates by a lower margin. Michelle Hutchison of Finder.com.au notes that the majority of households do not have a mortgage, while most have savings accounts. Some banks have offered a sweetener to savers by increasing the interest rate on term deposits and accounts that offer bonus interest rates.

CORPORATES
FINDER.COM.AU, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, BANK OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ST GEORGE BANK LIMITED, BANK OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BANK OF MELBOURNE LIMITED

Qantas slow to reduce ‘galling’ fuel surcharges

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Original article by Matt O’Sullivan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 20-May-15

FuelTrac’s Geoff Trotter has called upon Qantas to reduce its fuel surcharge on international flights. He notes that the carrier expects significant savings on its fuel costs in 2014-15 due to the downturn in the crude oil price. Qantas has yet to take action on the issue, despite flagging a review of its surcharges in January 2015. A spokeswoman says the airline is still in the process of revising its fares.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, FUELTRAC PTY LTD, EMIRATES AIRLINES, SINGAPORE AIRLINES LIMITED, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

‘Bring it on’: Labor will fight on super tax

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 20-May-15

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will address the National Press Club on 20 May 2015. His speech will advocate changes to the superannuation system, arguing that tax concessions for retirees are not sustainable. He will also stress that the Opposition is prepared to fight the next federal election on the issue of super. The Federal Government recently dropped plans for super reform, but National Seniors Australia believes that reforms should not have been restricted to the pension system.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA), NATIONAL SENIORS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Cheese revamp aimed at Asia

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Original article by Tim Binsted
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 20-May-15

Japanese-owned dairy products group Lion will officially open its expanded specialty cheese plant in the Tasmanian city of Burnie on 20 May 2015. The four-year project cost $A150m, and Lion CEO Stuart Irvine says it will allow the group to tap into the growing Asian market for premium dairy products. He has also flagged a greater push into the domestic market, noting that just 25 per cent of Australian households consume specialty cheeses.

CORPORATES
LION-DAIRY AND DRINKS PTY LTD, KIRIN HOLDINGS COMPANY LIMITED, BERRI LIMITED, DAIRY FARMERS LIMITED, TOOHEYS BREWING COMPANY PTY LTD, CASTLEMAINE PERKINS LIMITED, KING ISLAND DAIRY PTY LTD, SOUTH CAPE PTY LTD, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WARRNAMBOOL CHEESE AND BUTTER FACTORY COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX WCB, FONTERRA BRANDS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, JAPAN POST, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TOL

LNG barge resurfaces

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 20-May-15

Santos and Engie dropped plans to use floating LNG technology for the Bonaparte gas project in mid-2015, as it was deemed to be unviable. However, the two groups may revisit the proposal by placing an FLNG plant on a barge just off the coast of the Northern Territory. It is estimated that this would reduce the cost of using FLNG technology from $US4bn to around $US2bn. It would also cut the Bonaparte project’s annual production from 2.6 million tonnes of LNG to two million tonnes.

CORPORATES
SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ENGIE SA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD