Author: roymorgansocial

Optus banks on EPL to boost subscribers

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 26 : 9-Aug-19

Optus’s sports streaming service currently boasts more than 700,000 subscribers, and the telco is optimistic that the new English Premier League season will attract more customers. Optus CEO Allen Lew notes that no EPL matches will broadcast on free-to-air networks during the new season; he adds that in addition to live streaming of all matches, Optus Sport will seek to deliver additional value to customers via its coverage of the EPL. Optus initially secured exclusive EPL rights in 2015, and its deal was renewed in 2018.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Investors query AMP turnaround

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 9-Aug-19

AMP has announced a loss of $2.3bn for the first half of 2019 and a new strategy to turn around its fortunes. Amongst other things, the wealth manager aims to reduce costs by about $300m a year. AMP has also flagged plans to significantly reduce the number of financial advisers in its network and place more emphasis on so-called roboadvice. AMP will also continue to pursue the sale of its life insurance business to Resolution Life, while it will issue new shares at $1.50 apiece via a $650m capital raising.

CORPORATES
AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, RESOLUTION LIFE GROUP LIMITED, MERLON CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Distrust is highest for Cricket a year after sandpaper gate

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Aug-19

Australians’ distrust in Cricket is higher than any other sport a year after the ball-tampering scandal engulfed the Australian men’s cricket team and led to the suspensions of senior players. Joining Cricket with high levels of distrust are Rugby League/NRL, Aussie Rules/AFL, Horse Racing, Rugby Union, Soccer, Boxing, Tennis, Cycling and Greyhound Racing from research conducted in June 2019. Distrust in Cricket soared in the wake of ‘sandpaper gate’ and Cricket remains one of the leading sports with a negative Net Trust Score, according to the latest Roy Morgan Sports Net Trust Score survey. Although Cricket continues to have high distrust there is some good news. Women’s Cricket continues to provide a boost to the overall image of the sport, with higher trust than distrust. In addition the overall Net Trust Score for Cricket as well as for Rugby League/NRL, Aussie Rules/AFL, Soccer and Boxing have all improved compared to a year ago.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Digging deeper

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Original article by Peter Ker, William McInnes
The Australian Financial Review Boss – Page: 16-21 : 9-Aug-19

BHP has taken a stronger stance on social and environmental issues such as gender diversity and climate policy under current CEO Andrew Mackenzie. He has also been outspoken on policies such as company tax cuts, free trade and Indigenous rights. Mackenzie believes that companies should take a stance on issues that are likely to have a major impact on them, as well as issues that could have a negative impact if they are not adequately addressed. He recently told an annual investor summit that contributing to the communities in which BHP operates is one of the ways in which it create value for shareholders.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Bond signal: ultra-low rates for a decade

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 26 : 9-Aug-19

The Reserve Bank of Australia is widely tipped to reduce the cash rate below 0.5 per cent within six months, and overnight indexed swaps pricing suggests that the cash rate will average 0.84 per cent over the next decade. David Plank of the ANZ Bank warns that the central bank will most likely need to adopt a quantitative easing policy within 5-10 years; he adds that this will probably not be necessary in the next year or so, unless there is a significant downturn in the global economy.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, AUSTRALIA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS

Lynas calls for US backing of rare earth firms

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 20 : 8-Aug-19

Lynas Corporation MD Amanda Lacaze addressed the annual Diggers & Dealers forum on 7 August. She said the US will need to provide financial support to rare earths producers in order to ensure that it has a secure long-term supply of the minerals, which are critical for electric vehicles and military weapons. Lacaze says she expects Lynas to receive support from the US, given that the company is set to become the only producer of heavy rare earths outside of China.

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, DIGGERS AND DEALERS FORUM, BLUE LINE CORPORATION

Costello defies PM, urges super debate

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 4 : 8-Aug-19

The legislated increase in the superannuation guarantee continues to attract scrutiny, with former treasurer Peter Costello calling for the issue to be "thoroughly debated" in the Coalition’s partyroom. He says increasing the guarantee from 9.5 per cent at present to 12 per cent by mid-2025 will have "very significant ramifications", although he has stopped short of declaring his own position on the issue. A number of Coalition backbenchers oppose increasing the super guarantee.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Qantas boss warns climate hysteria threatens air travel

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 1 : 8-Aug-19

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce addressed the annual Centre for Aviation summit on 7 August, stressing that imposing levies on airlines and travellers is not the solution to climate change. The French government recently announced a new tax on airfares, and the Netherlands is considering a similar levy. Joyce argued that the global airline industry is aware of its environmental impact and is taking action to reduce its carbon footprint. He also stressed the economic importance of international air travel in terms of trade and job creation.

CORPORATES
QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, CENTRE FOR AVIATION, AUSTRALIA. BUREAU OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL ECONOMICS

Treasurer in bid to allay surplus fears

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 8-Aug-19

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has downplayed concerns about the US-China trade war, stressing that it will not affect the federal government’s timetable for returning the Budget to surplus. Frydenberg has acknowledged that financial market volatility following China’s move to devalue the yuan was a concern, but he has cautioned against an overreaction. Labor has urged the government to bring forward income tax cuts and infrastructure spending in order to stimulate the economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Skills crisis at critical level: CEOs

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Original article by Ewin Hannan, Sascha O’Sullivan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 8-Aug-19

Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has urged the federal government to take action to address the nation’s skilled labour shortage. Willox says the situation is particularly urgent given the number of major infrastructure projects that will be undertaken in coming years. He has written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison arguing the need for a national approach to the issue, noting that the number of people undertaking apprenticeship and traineeship programs fell to 259,385 in 2018, compared with 446,000 in 2012.

CORPORATES
THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS