Author: roymorgansocial

Health funds fear surge in fire claims

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 15-Jan-20

Private health insurers expect the bushfire crisis to result in a sharp increase in insurance claims, particularly from customers who have been affected by the smoke haze. However, they say it is too soon to determine the exact impact of the fires. Latrobe Health Services CEO Ian Whitehead anticipates a big increase in claims related to mental health issues arising from the bushfires, as well as physical health problems. Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone says the longer-term effects of inhaling hazardous smoke will not be known for some time.

CORPORATES
LATROBE HEALTH SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, BUPA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, AUSTRALIAN UNITY LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence bounces to 107.3

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Jan-20

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 1% to 107.3 in the week ended 12 January, recovering a bit more than half the loss seen in the prior survey. Current economic conditions gained 6.1% after a fall of 12.9% in the previous reading, while future economic conditions gained 8.6%. Current finances declined by 5.5%, dropping to its lowest level since June; future finances gained 0.6%, for a third consecutive increase. The four-week moving average of inflation expectations was down by 0.1ppt to 3.9%.

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

Investors ready to turn savage

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Original article by Melissa Yeo
The Australian – Page: 21 : 15-Jan-20

The sharemarket rally has seen the S&P/ASX 200’s price-to-earnings multiple rise to a record high of 18 times. Mirrabooka Investments’ MD Mark Freeman says high valuations means that stocks which fail to meet expectations in the February reporting season will be punished by investors. Meanwhile, Mirrabooka has reported a 2019-20 interim profit of $4.4m, compared with $4.6m previously. Shareholders will receive a first-half dividend of $0.35 per share.

CORPORATES
MIRRABOOKA INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX MIR, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Telco, NBN failures during bushfire crisis reveal cracks in regional, rural crisis coverage

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Original article by Jess Davis
The New Daily – Page: Online : 14-Jan-20

Some areas of rural and regional Australia that were impacted during the bushfire crisis lost their mobile and NBN access. Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde says the fires should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ to the government, and that a national emergency telecommunications plan is required. Budde says telecommunications infrastructure needs to be buried underground, and that the old copper network should remain in place. Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher notes that no communications system can completely withstand bushfires.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Greens call for climate emergency national stockpile

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Original article by Nick Bonyhady
The Age – Page: Online : 14-Jan-20

The Greens have called for a climate emergency national medical stockpile to address the health impacts of the current bushfires. The policy would see people in smoke-impacted areas have access to stockpiles of smoke-filtering masks, with Greens leader Richard Di Natale saying that the federal government’s current supply of masks was not enough to protect Australians. The federal government has stated it will make more masks available if the need arises, while Bunnings owner Wesfarmers reported recently that demand for face masks "had gone through the roof".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ASX100 CEOs already paid more than the average annual salary

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Original article by Killian Plastow
The New Daily – Page: Online : 14-Jan-20

The average CEO of an S&P/ASX 100 company has probably earned more since the start of 2020 than the average worker will earn for the whole year, based on Australian Council of Superannuation Investors figures. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Australia’s top-earning CEO in 2018, received as much as 281 workers earning the average wage. Bonuses, which are viewed as ‘at-risk’ pay, account for much of the large amounts that CEOs receive. However, ACSI CEO Louise Davidson notes that over 50 per cent of ASX 100 CEOs received over 70 per cent of their bonuses in the 2018 financial year, suggesting to her that so-called ‘at risk’ pay is "not very risky at all".

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 100 INDEX, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Emirates still top brand associated with Melbourne Cup

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Jan-20

New research from Roy Morgan shows that Emirates is still the top brand associated with the Melbourne Cup, two years after the Dubai-based airline ended its naming rights sponsorship of Australia’s most watched horse race. Nearly 3.9 million Australians (19%) associate Emirates with the Melbourne Cup, down from a high of 5.3 million (27%) in 2016. Emirates held naming rights sponsorship for the Cup from 2004 to 2017. New naming rights sponsor Lexus is associated with the Cup by nearly 830,000 Australians (4%). However, recognition rises to 10% among Australians who watch the Cup on TV and to 15% among Australians who bet on horse racing in an average week. Lexus signed a five-year naming rights sponsorship agreement for the Melbourne Cup, covering the years 2018-2022 and has ground to make up on previous sponsor Emirates, which had a sponsorship association of 9% in its first year. Other sponsors Australians associate with the Melbourne Cup include Myer, Foster’s, AAMI and Sky Channel. Sponsorship recall is higher for all key brands among those who bet on horse racing, ahead of those who watch the race on TV.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, THE LEXUS MELBOURNE CUP, EMIRATES AIRLINES, LEXUS, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, FOSTER’S GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED MOTOR INSURERS LIMITED, SKY CHANNEL PTY LTD

‘A significant fight ahead’: Koalas could be listed as endangered in parts of Australia

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Original article by Angus Thompson, Nick Bonyhady
The Age – Page: Online : 14-Jan-20

Scientists believe that the bushfires in northern NSW have destroyed about 30 per cent of the region’s koala habitats. Koalas are already listed as a ‘vulnerable’ species in some parts of Australia, and Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley warns that the species may need to be upgraded to ‘endangered’ in some bushfire-affected areas. Ley has stressed that every effort will be made to ensure that the species survives. Half of the federal government’s $50m bushfire relief package for wildlife will be given to wildlife carers, hospitals and zoos.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Woolworths Group takes the largest cut of fresh meat market

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Jan-20

The latest Roy Morgan Fresh Food and Grocery Report shows that Woolworths Group has the largest share of the fresh meat market, taking 27.5% of the more than $13 billion spent on fresh meat in Australia each year. Woolworths Group also enjoys the highest number of customers, with 42.7% of meat buyers having recently purchased from its stores. Coles Group is in second place with 22.6% of the fresh meat market, followed by specialist Butchers (20.9%), Aldi (10.6%), Other Non-Supermarkets (6.6%), IGA (5.1%), Other Supermarkets (4.3%), and produce Markets taking the remaining 2.3%. The findings are taken from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, compiled by in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 1,000 Australians each week in their homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, IGA

Westpac pays bushfire mortgages

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Jan-20

Westpac has revealed details of its support package for victims of the nation’s bushfire crisis. Amongst other things, the bank will make mortgage repayments on behalf of customers whose primary residence was lost in the bushfires. This will apply for one year, and payments will be capped at $1,200 per month. Personal customers will also receive interest-free loans to cover the gap between insurance payouts and rebuilding costs, and business customers will be offered low-interest loans. Westpac and its major rivals have also made large donations to bushfire relief appeals.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, RED CROSS SOCIETY, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS