Author: roymorgansocial

Coal exports rise as foreign rivals hit pause

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 22 : 3-Apr-20

Port Waratah Coal Services has advised that export volumes at its coal terminals rose slightly in the March quarter, compared with the same period in 2019. CEO Hennie du Plooy notes that coal demand and production remained strong during the period, despite the coronavirus pandemic. However, he notes that the virus lockdown has placed a number of constraints on the company, including the need to ensure that contact between employees is minimised during shift changeovers.

CORPORATES
PORT WARATAH COAL SERVICES LIMITED

Self-isolation measures lead to plunge in movement of people in Sydney and at places of interest

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Apr-20

Roy Morgan and UberMedia aren’t just measuring movement data in Sydney’s central business district but also in key places of interest around the city and surrounds. The utility of the data allows precise targeting of locations throughout Australia to assess how movement data is changing as Australia’s are required to self-isolate to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. In Sydney we have noticed sharp drop-offs in movement data for several key locations including the Airport, Central and Redfern Stations, Sydney’s Taronga Zoo and shopping centres including Chatswood, Marketplace Leichhardt, Stockland Balgowlah, Westfield Bondi and Warringah. The drop off in movement has not been as significant at particular locations including stores stocking essential goods such as Coles Broadway, Woolworths Erskineville and Costco Lidcombe.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

Self-isolation measures lead to plunge in movement of people in Melbourne and at places of interest

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Apr-20

Roy Morgan has partnered with leading technological innovator UberMedia to aggregate data from tens of thousands of mobile devices to assess the impact of new Government regulations on social distancing designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus throughout Australia. The aggregate data compiled allows governments and health agencies to assess what types of Australians are still visiting Australia’s cities and places of interest via integration of the movement data with the in-depth psychographic profiling capabilities of Roy Morgan Helix Personas. The first Australian death from COVID-19 coronavirus was reported on March 1 and from that point the trend for movement data in the Melbourne CBD has changed and rapidly declined since mid-March. In Melbourne we have noticed sharp drop-offs in movement data for several key locations including the Airport, Arts Centre, Botanic Gardens, Chinatown, Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Museum and Exhibition Buildings, Southern Cross Station, Williamstown Beach Station and the Zoo. There have also been rapid declines in movement data in the last week of March for several key shopping destinations including Chadstone, Highpoint, Southland, The Glen, Werribee Shopping Centre and Costco Docklands.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, UBERMEDIA

Reserve Bank could lend money to super funds to help cover coronavirus withdrawals

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Original article by Ben Butler
The Guardian – Page: Online : 31-Mar-20

The federal government has predicted that as much as $27 billion could be withdrawn from super funds under rules allowing people who lose their jobs as a result of COVID-19 to withdraw up to $20,000, but some funds suggest that it could be as much as $60 billion. The Reserve Bank is understood to be working out how it might set up a government-backed facility to assist funds to pay withdrawals, although Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has thus far rejected the idea. The government’s decision to introduce a wage subsidy to keep people in work could mean the level of withdrawals may not be as great as previously forecast.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Cut prices to below $1.20, oil giants told

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 3 : 31-Mar-20

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims notes the slump in oil prices is good for the economy, given Australia is an importer of oil. Sims says that given Australian consumers are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 crisis, they should not be expected to have to buy petrol at above $1.30 a litre. Sims says prices should be, at worse, under $1.20, and "heading considerably lower". Sims is confident the Australian economy will quickly recover once the COVID-19 crisis is over.

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AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Packaged beer the new normal for big brewers

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 17 : 31-Mar-20

Australian brewers have responded to the coronavirus-induced closure of the nation’s pubs by shifting their focus to producing beer in cans and bottles rather than kegs. Coopers Brewery’s MD Tim Cooper says kegs usually account for about 15 per cent of the family-owned firm’s volumes, but it is currently not producing any keg beer. He adds that Coopers’ sales in March have been 30 per cent higher than expected as consumers flock to liquor stores. Carlton & United Breweries and Lion are also focusing on the packaged beer market.

CORPORATES
COOPERS BREWERY LIMITED, CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERIES, LION PTY LTD

Nearly nine-in-ten Australians (85%) think the worst is yet to come over the next month in regards to COVID-19

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Mar-20

Nearly nine-in-ten Australians (85%) say the ‘Worst is yet to come’ over the next month in regards to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic; however only 43% of Australians agree that the Australian Government is handling the Coronavirus well, according to a special Roy Morgan web survey of an Australia-wide cross-section of 988 Australians aged 18+ conducted over the weekend of March 28-29. Australians are more pessimistic than their counterparts in the UK, with 82% of Britons answering that the ‘Worst is yet to come’ over the next month. While only 43% of Australians agree that the Australian Government is handling the Coronavirus well, the result in the UK is slightly higher at 49%. Interviewing in the UK was conducted on the prior weekend of March 18-20, with a UK-wide cross-section of 2,094 respondents aged 18+ by the London-based ORB International, which is the UK Member of the Gallup International Association and affiliated with Roy Morgan. It is important to compare the Australian and United Kingdom results, as both countries are facing the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic which poses a threat to livelihoods. Australia and the UK share a similar culture so these questions will be repeated in both Australia and the UK over the coming weeks.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, ORB INTERNATIONAL

‘We’re bloody lucky we’ve got them’: from pariahs to saviours

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Original article by James Frost, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 7 : 31-Mar-20

Australia’s major banks have received 170,000 requests from households and businesses to defer loan repayments due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, bank CEOs warn that despite being well-capitalised, the sector will need to be very selective with regard to the businesses that it chooses to assist, and those that are already failing cannot expect to receive a financial lifeline. Reserve Bank of Australia board member Ian Harper notes that the crisis has provided banks with an opportunity to redeem themselves following the revelations of misconduct exposed by the Hayne royal commission.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Oil M&A looms as Woodside clears decks; FAR in trouble

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 31-Mar-20

James Byrne of Citibank is among the analysts who expect Woodside Petroleum to seek acquisitions after putting its key growth projects on hold. He notes that the oil and gas group has $US4.9bn in cash and $US7.9bn in liquidity, and it may be prepared to temporarily lose its BBB+ credit rating if the right acquisition emerges. Meanwhile, Far Limited has advised that the sharp decline in the crude oil price in recent months means that it cannot finalise new debt facilities to finance its share of the Woodside-led Sangomar oil project in Senegal.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, FAR LIMITED – ASX FAR, CITIBANK PTY LTD

Nine targets $266m in cost cuts as virus hits

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Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 15 : 31-Mar-20

Nine Entertainment Company aims to reduce its costs by $266m in calendar 2020, including $102m in the first half. Amongst other things, the media giant expects its broadcasting division to achieve cost savings $130m if the entire NRL season is cancelled; this would be split across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years. Nine has also advised that the coronavirus lockdown has prompted strong growth in subscriptions and usage of its Stan and 9Now streaming services.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, 9NOW