Author: roymorgansocial

Investors facing a year of risks

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 17-Dec-18

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has shed 7.6 per cent so far in 2018, having peaked at a 10-year high of 6,373.5 points in August. However, market strategists are upbeat about the outlook for local shares in 2019, with a median forecast for the S&P/ASX 200 to gain 11 per cent in the next year. Domestic and global factors may weigh on market sentiment in 2019, including the economic outlook, falling Australian house prices, the prospect of interest rate rises in the US and Europe, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding Britain’s exit from the European Union.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MST MARQUEE, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Seven ponders WA regional paper sale

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 17-Dec-18

Seven West Media has declined to comment on speculation that it may seek a buyer for some of its regional newspapers in Western Australia. News Corp Australia and Nine Entertainment Company are also believed to be interested in divesting some regional newspapers, and industry insiders say there could be potential for a single buyer to acquire assets from all three companies given that the newspapers have limited geographic overlap.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WEST REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA, AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL MEDIA, HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, ALLEGRO FUNDS PTY LTD, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, TPG CAPITAL LP, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA

Hybrid and fully electric vehicles now considered as serious alternatives to petrol

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Dec-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that 52.2% of Australian drivers would now seriously consider buying a hybrid vehicle, compared with 48.8% a year ago. Interest in buying a fully electric vehicle has increased from 31.6% to 36.2% over the last 12 months. The overall consideration for electric based vehicles (hybrid or fully electric) is now 56.1%, an increase from 52.4% last year and well ahead of the nearest alternative, diesel on 45.5%. Diesel and LPG had been seen as the main alternatives to petrol up to 2015, but both have shown a declining trend over the last three years. Meanwhile, an estimated 77.5% of vehicles currently run on petrol, but this is likely to decline as only 63.7% of drivers say that their next vehicle is most likely have a petrol engine. These are some of the latest results from Roy Morgan’s ‘Automotive Currency Report’, which is based on in-depth personal interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 Australians per annum in their own home, including over 37,000 drivers aged+18.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Property and share market slump likely to delay retirement plans for over 420,000 Australians

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Dec-18

New research from Roy Morgan shows that the number of Australians who intend to retire in the next 12 months is estimated at 426,000, a 30% increase on the level seen in 2008 when it was 328,000. Men currently represent 220,000 intending retirees. Meanwhile, the average gross wealth (total assets excluding owner-occupied homes) of intending retirees is $331,000, up from $237,000 since 2008. Up to now, superannuation has been playing an increasing role in retirement funding and currently represents 69% of the gross wealth of intending retirees, up from 53% in 2008. Although the average debt level for this group is currently only $26,000, it does reduce their average net wealth to $305,000, which is generally inadequate for self-funded retirement. The overall conclusion is that intending retirees will be relying on government benefits for some time yet, given the fact that the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia estimates that an individual would need $545k and a couple $640k for a ‘comfortable lifestyle’. Roy Morgan’s Single Source survey is based on in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 consumers per annum in their homes, including over 400 who intend to retire in the next 12 months.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Bunnings enters Christmas period on top for satisfaction

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Dec-18

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 89.8% of Australian hardware store customers were satisfied in the 12 months to October 2018, an increase of 2.4% year-on-year. Satisfaction with market leader Bunnings increased 1% point to 90%, holding off an increase of 2% by Mitre 10 to 89%. Home Hardware is in third place on 88% (down 1% for the year), followed by True Value Hardware on 83%. These are the latest results from Roy Morgan’s ‘Hardware Store Satisfaction Report’, which is based on in-depth personal interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 Australians per annum in their homes, including over 9,000 interviews with people who have shopped in a hardware store in the last four weeks.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, MITRE 10 LIMITED, HOME HARDWARE, TRUE VALUE HARDWARE LIMITED

Huawei & Oppo fastest growing mobile phone handsets

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Dec-18

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that 471,000 Australians aged 14+ owned Huawei mobile phone handsets in the 12 months to September 2018, which represents growth of 87% over the last two years. Meanwhile, 368,000 Australians now own an Oppo handset. However, Australia’s most widely-held handset is again the Apple iPhone, which is used by over 8.6 million Australians (up 16% on two years ago). The handsets of key rival Samsung are used by over 5.6 million Australians in 2018, virtually unchanged on two years ago. Meanwhile, analysis using Roy Morgan’s Helix Personas consumer segmentation and data integration tool shows that a fifth of Australians who own Huawei handsets are members of the Metrotechs community, while a quarter of Australians owning Oppo handsets are in the Fair Go community and 22% are in the Hearth & Home community.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED, OPPO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION, APPLE INCORPORATED, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY LIMITED

Fitch warns of far-reaching dangers of negative encryption laws

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Original article by Paul Smith, Natasha Gillezeau
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 14-Dec-18

Australia’s new anti-encryption laws are nominally intended to assist law enforcement agencies in combatting terrorists and criminals by allowing them to crack encrypted messages. Ratings agency Fitch contends that the laws have the potential to harm the local technology sector, as well as global tech firms such as Facebook and Twitter. However, the Australian Signals Directorate’s Director-General Mike Burgess says a lot of myths are being perpetuated about the new laws.

CORPORATES
FITCH RATINGS LIMITED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, TWITTER INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, CISCO SYSTEMS INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED

TPG plunges on doubt over merger plans

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 14-Dec-18

Australian Competition & Consumer Competition chairman Rod Sims says its preliminary view on the proposed merger between Vodafone Hutchison Australia and TPG Telecom is that it will lead to less competition. The ACCC will delay its decision on the $15 billion merger for three months, while Sims’ comments caused TPG’s share price to fall by 16.7 per cent on 13 December. Vodafone CEO Inaki Berroeta says the merger with TPG is still on track, and that it will be good for consumers.

CORPORATES
VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

$400m bill for training

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Original article by Rob Harris, Anthony Galloway
Herald Sun – Page: 12 : 14-Dec-18

The federal government has criticised a push for union members to receive paid leave to attend training programs. The resolution will be put to Labor’s upcoming national conference, but the government has warned that it would cost the national economy about $1.3 billion a year and the Victorian economy $358.3 million a year if it applied to all members of a union. However, Labor has stressed that the policy would apply only to elected union delegates. Shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor argues that union delegates are already permitted to take training leave during working hours at the majority of unionised workplaces.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION

Shorten vows to restore a fair go

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Original article by Troy Bramston
The Australian – Page: 6 : 14-Dec-18

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has outlined some of the key policy areas that will be part of its 2019 election campaign. Amongst other things, Labor will legislate to overturn the Fair Work Commission’s penalty rate cuts and introduce a new regulatory regime for labour hire firms. Labor also intends to increase the highest marginal income tax rate by two per cent, abolish the Medicare rebate freeze and restore funding for schools and public hospital to the levels before the Coalition took office in 2013.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION