Author: roymorgansocial

Federal debt boss: why borrowing isn’t easy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 4 : 26-Aug-19

Australian Office of Financial Management CEO Rob Nicholl has rejected suggestions that the federal government’s capacity to increase its borrowings has been boosted by the downturn in bond yields. The yield on 10-year government bonds fell below the cash rate of one per cent earlier in August, and Nicholls argues that demand for government debt has not risen despite a global downturn in bond yields. The federal government is resisting pressure to ramp up its infrastructure spending instead of prioritising a return to a Budget surplus.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

‘Political shocks turn into economic shocks’: RBA chief

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Aug-19

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe has told the global monetary policy conference at Jackson Hole in Wyoming that the world is experiencing a period of major political shocks that are turning into economic shocks. Lowe also reiterated the need for governments to provide economic stimulus via infrastructure investment and structural reform, arguing that monetary policy alone is insufficient. Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says the federal government lacks a plan to turn around the Australian economy.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BANK OF ENGLAND, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Crown closed out risk probe

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Damon Kitney
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 26-Aug-19

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation recommended in 2018 that Crown Resorts review its anti-money-laundering controls and internal risks systems. The recommendations resulted from the VCGLR’s review of Crown’s Victorian casino licence, with the VCGLR advising Crown to get help from Austrac in the review of its anti-money-laundering controls. Crown has stated both reviews were completed over a month before allegations regarding its links with organised crime were raised in the media.

CORPORATES
VICTORIAN COMMISSION FOR GAMBLING AND LIQUOR REGULATION, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

Treasurer tells CEOs: get positive

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Aug-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will use a Business Council of Australia speech on 26 August to stress the need for the corporate sector to take action to boost productivity and wages. He will argue that lifting the nation’s average annual rate of productivity growth from about 1.1 per cent at present to 1.5 per cent would boost the economy by $70bn over the next decade and increase real wages by four per cent. Frydenberg will also urge business leaders to increase capital investment, including in new technologies, rather than focusing on returning capital to investors via share buybacks and special dividends.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Savers at risk in bank, credit union data hack

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 19 : 26-Aug-19

The security of the New Payments Platform is under scrutiny in the wake of revelations that the system has been subject to a second data breach. Cuscal has indicated that only about three per cent of bank and credit union customers who have registered for a PayID have been affected by the breach, which equates to less than 92,000 customers. Westpac customers who use the real-time NPP system were affected by a data breach in June.

CORPORATES
CUSCAL, 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

Closure threat over union agreement OK: Fair Work

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 23-Aug-19

The Electrical Trades Union has indicated that it may launch coercion proceedings in the Federal Court regarding an enterprise agreement at New South Wales-based DDP Electrical Services, which excluded the ETU. The Fair Work Commission approved the agreement despite a letter from DDP to its staff which claimed that it would be out of business within six months if the ETU was successful in negotiating a new agreement. The FWC found that the warning was not a breach of ‘good faith bargaining’, as workers were still given a choice between a union and non-union agreement.

CORPORATES
DDP ELECTRICAL SERVICES, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

Report finds ANZ tribal, slow and lazy

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 : 23-Aug-19

ANZ chairman David Gonski has commented on a governance, culture and accountability self-assessment that the bank prepared for the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. Shortcomings revealed in the document, which Gonski notes was prepared on a confidential basis, prompted APRA to impose a $500 million capital charge on the bank. Gonski says some of these shortcomings include a penchant for seeking short-term fixes and a lack of accountability.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Top lawyers warn ASIC against hasty moves

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 23-Aug-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg recently indicated that the federal government aims to pass 40 pieces of legislation in response to the Hayne royal commission’s recommendations by the end of 2020. It wants 90 per cent of relevant legislation to be implemented by mid-2020. However, corporate lawyers have stated that problems could arise if the government and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission persist with their "ambitious deadlines" for implementing the commission’s recommendations.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Band-Aid plans to push up power bills

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mark Ludlow, Angela Macdonald-Smith, Natasha Gillezeau
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 23-Aug-19

Claims that Australia could suffer from power blackouts during the 2019-20 summer reflect the need for a co-ordinated national energy policy, according to Energy Users Association of Australia CEO Andrew Richards. He says asking big power users to again take part in voluntary load shedding to help prevent blackouts represents a "Band-Aid on top of another Band-Aid". His comments regarding the need for a co-ordinated energy plan have been echoed by ERM Power CEO executive Jon Stretch.

CORPORATES
ENERGY USERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA, ERM POWER LIMITED – ASX EPW, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL

Coles boss bullish as online sales hit $1bn

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 19 : 23-Aug-19

Grocery and liquor retailer Coles Group has posted a 2018-19 net profit of $1.434bn, which is 9.1 per cent lower than previously. Earnings from continuing operations were down 8.1 per cent at $1.325bn, and sales fell 1.7 per cent to $38.46bn. Coles’ online sales increased by 30 per cent to $1.1bn, and the division was profitable for the first time in 2018-19. Shareholders will receive a final dividend of $0.24 per share, plus a special dividend of $0.115 a share.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, COLES ONLINE PTY LTD, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VINTAGE CELLARS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, LIQUORLAND (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, FIRST CHOICE LIQUOR SUPERSTORE, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD