Queue for new share listings shrinks after 18pc loss last year

Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 31-Jan-19

HLB Mann Judd expects Australia’s IPO market to remain subdued in 2019, after a poor performance in 2018. Companies that listed in 2018 had shed an average of 18 per cent of their value by the end of the year. IPO activity was also lower, with the number of floats falling from 110 in 2017 to just 93. Marcus Ohm of HLB Mann Judd notes that the 17 companies that have applied to list on the sharemarket so far in 2019 are seeking to raise just $179m in total.

CORPORATES
HLB MANN JUDD, IFLIX LIMITED, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, VIVA ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX VEA, CORONADO GLOBAL RESOURCES INCORPORATED – ASX CRN, L1 LONG SHORT FUND LIMITED – ASX LSF, ADRIATIC METALS PLC – ASX ADT, EXOPHARM LIMITED – ASX EX1, ELIXINOL GLOBAL LIMITE – ASX EXL

ALP goads seniors: vote against us

Original article by Simon Benson, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-Jan-19

Analysis of tax data shows that Labor’s proposal to abolish cash refunds for excess dividend imputation credits would affect up to eight per cent of electors in the 10 most marginal federal seats. It is estimated that they would lose an average of $2,700 as a result of the policy. However, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says Labor will press ahead with the policy if it wins the upcoming election. He has also suggested that self-funded retirees should vote against Labor if they are concerned about the policy, prompting Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to accuse him of arrogance.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, NATIONAL SENIORS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SMSF ASSOCIATION, LLOG EXPLORATION COMPANY, AUSTRALIA. PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence up to 116.5

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Jan-19

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 0.7% to 116.5 in the week ended 27 January, continuing its up-down-up pattern. Households’ views towards current financial conditions rose 2.2%, but views towards future financial conditions declined by 0.9%. Consumers’ views toward current and future economic conditions gained 1.7% and 5.9% respectively. The ‘time to buy a household item’ sub-index fell 3.9%, to its lowest level since October.

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

Battle of the books: MUP loses its spine

Original article by Chip Le Grand, Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 1 & 7 : 31-Jan-19

A change in Melbourne University Publishing’s editorial policy has prompted the resignation of long-serving CEO Louise Adler and five independent directors of the venerable publishing house. The University of Melbourne’s vice-­chancellor Duncan Maskell has ordered MUP to exit trade publishing and focus exclusively on academic publishing. Several of the directors who resigned have questioned whether MUP will be viable under its new business model, noting the limited market in Australia for academic works.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND PRESS, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, QUEENSLAND. CRIME AND CORRUPTION COMMISSION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Rates rise tipped but not soon

Original article by James Glynn
The Australian – Page: 27 : 31-Jan-19

There is general consensus in financial markets that the Reserve Bank of Australia will keep official interest rates on hold at 1.5 per cent in February. However forme RBA board member John Edwards says the next movement in the cash rate will be up rather than down, although this is will not happen in the near-term. He adds that the RBA’s economic growth and inflation forecasts for 2019 are "quite plausible".

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Tough earnings season ahead as pressure builds

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 31-Jan-19

Tony Brennan of Citigroup says earnings guidance in the February 2019 reporting season is likely to be influenced by factors such as the slowdown in Australia’s housing market and falling business sentiment. Brennan says companies in a range of sectors have downgraded their earnings forecasts in recent months, and this may be reflected in the upcoming profit reporting season. The S&P/ASX 200 has gained 4.3 per cent so far in 2019, and Citigroup still expects it to test the 6,300-point level by the end of the year.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Green light for black economy taskforce

Original article by Duncan Hughes
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 30-Jan-19

The federal government’s Black Economy Taskforce made 80 recommendations in its final report, which was released in October. The government has accepted 30 of these recommendations, while it has agreed in principle to adopt 21 recommendations. Michael Andrew, who chaired the taskforce, says government departments and agencies have commenced the process of implementing the recommendations. The cash economy is estimated to cost about $50 billion a year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Banks under fire: investigations laid bare by regulator

Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 30-Jan-19

Documents released by the financial services royal commission show that the Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s enforcement committee approved the prosecution of National Australia Bank for breaching its financial services licence in June 2018. The committee found that NAB had repeatedly failed to comply with laws requiring it to report serious breaches of its licence within 10 days. NAB’s compliance record also came under scrutiny by the royal commission in August.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, TRIO CAPITAL LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, VAN EYK CAPITAL PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Tax law loss delivers $82m hit to BHP

Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 19 : 30-Jan-19

The full Federal Court has overturned the Administrative Appeals Tribunal’s ruling that BHP and its London-listed arm are not associates for tax purposes. The case centred on the Australian Taxation Office’s dispute with BHP over its controversial marketing hub in Singapore. The ATO had alleged that BHP’s dual-listing agreement meant that its Australian division had to pay tax on the British arm’s profits under rules governing controlled foreign corporations.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HUNTER VALLEY COAL CORPORATION

BuzzFeed set to discard a quarter of local staff

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 3 : 30-Jan-19

Digital media company BuzzFeed has confirmed that 11 of its employees in Australia will be retrenched following a period of consultation. Simon Crerar, the general manager of BuzzFeed’s local arm, had initially indicated that 25 jobs would be cut. US-based BuzzFeed has about 40 employees in Australia and 1,300 worldwide. It recently announced plans to cut its global headcount by 200.

CORPORATES
BUZZFEED INCORPORATED, BUZZFEED PTY LTD, ALPHABET INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, COMCAST CORPORATION, NBC UNIVERSAL INCORPORATED, HEARST VENTURES, ANDREESSEN HOROWITZ