Author: roymorgansocial

JCDecaux’s APN buy shrinks market

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Original article by Bridget Carter
The Australian – Page: 19 : 27-Jun-18

APN Outdoor Group’s board has recommended that shareholders accept JCDecaux’s revised offer of $A6.70 per share, which values the bid at $A1.217bn. France-based JCDecaux had initially offered $A6.52 per share. APN Outdoor MD James Warburton says digital disruption is unlikely to have much impact on the outdoor advertising sector. APN Outdoors’ shares closed three per cent higher at $A6.42 on 26 June.

CORPORATES
APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, JC DECAUX SA, OOH!MEDIA LIMITED – ASX OML, ADSHEL PTY LTD, HT&E LIMITED – ASX HT1, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, YARRA TRAMS, NEW SOUTH WALES. ROADS AND MARITIME SERVICES

Australia to slip in LNG ranking

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 27-Jun-18

The International Energy Agency’s latest gas market report notes that global demand for natural gas increased by three per cent in 2017. This was primarily due to rising gas consumption in China as part of the nation’s strategy to improve air quality. Meanwhile, the IEA forecasts that the global LNG market will grow by nearly 30 per cent over the next five years. Much of this growth will be due to higher production by the US, which is forecast to supplant Australia as the second-largest LNG exporter by 2023.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

Digital cash not on RBA agenda

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Original article by David Swan
The Australian – Page: 29 : 27-Jun-18

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s head of payments policy has downplayed the prospect that the central bank will introduce a digital version of the Australian dollar. Tony Richard says the RBA does not believe that there would be sufficient demand for a digital currency at present. He adds that a digital currency would have implications for the RBA’s financial stability mandate and the structure of the financial sector. Several fintech companies advocated the introduction of a digital Australian dollar in 2017.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, FINTECH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AGRIDIGITAL, OTHERA, AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS ECONOMISTS INCORPORATED

Bid to sideline CFMEU falls at a legal hurdle

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 27-Jun-18

The Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union has successfully challenged the use of a greenfields enterprise agreement by a CIMIC Group subsidiary. CPB, which was formerly known as Leighton, had struck a pay deal with the Australian Workers’ Union that sidelined the CFMEU. However, the full bench of the Fair Work Commission upheld the CFMEU’s appeal. The union’s Victorian president Ralph Edwards says CPB had attempted to misuse the greenfields provisions of the Fair Work Act to avoid renegotiating an existing enterprise agreement.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, CIMIC GROUP LIMITED – ASX CIM, CPB, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

BHP in $7bn deal on Brazil disaster

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 22 : 27-Jun-18

BHP Billiton has agreed to an uncapped settlement with Brazilian prosecutors regarding a damages claim arising from the tailings dam collapse at the Samarco iron ore mine in 2015. The agreement has fully settled the initial damages claim of 20 billion Brazilian real against BHP and joint venture partner Vale, while a civil claim for 155 billion real has been suspended for two years. Tyler Broda of RBC Capital Markets says the settlement should eventually allow production at Samarco to resume.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, VALE SA, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, BP PLC

Shorten’s $20bn tax clawback

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Original article by Simon Benson, Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 27-Jun-18

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has confirmed that Labor will reverse tax cuts for businesses with turnover of $A10m to $A50m if it wins the next federal election. A cut tax for firms with turnover of $A25m to $A50m is scheduled to take effect on 1 July. Shorten has indicated that Labor could also repeal previously legislated tax cuts for businesses with turnover of $A2m to $A10m. Employers’ groups have warned that Labor’s stance will create uncertainty for businesses, while some Labor MPs say Shorten did not consult shadow cabinet or caucus before announcing the policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Social Media deeply distrusted by Australians

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 27-Jun-18

The MEDIA Net Trust Score Survey, which was conducted by Roy Morgan in May, reveals that 47 per cent of Australians distrust social media. Facebook by far is the most distrusted media brand. Young Australians distrust social media the most, with 68 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 53 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds distrusting social media. Meanwhile, men (49 per cent) distrust social media marginally more than women (45 per cent). According to survey respondents, their top five drivers of distrust in Social Media are: Fake News/manipulation of the truth; False statistics/audience measurement; Personal information stolen & distributed; Anyone can make claims without any evidence; News is sensationalised/becomes entertainment. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says Social Media’s TRUST score is 5 per cent and its DISTRUST score is 47 per cent, so when one is subtracted from the other we reveal a Social Media NTS of minus 42 per cent, making it more toxic even than the banking industry.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

ABC most trusted, Facebook most distrusted

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 27-Jun-18

The MEDIA Net Trust Survey, which was conducted by Roy Morgan in May, reveals that while Facebook – and Social Media generally – is deeply distrusted in Australia, the ABC is by far the nation’s most trusted media organisation. Some 47 per cent of all Australians distrust social media, but only 9 per cent distrust the ABC. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the media industry overall has a Net Trust Score of minus 7; Social Media has the lowest NTS at minus 42%, followed by Television (minus 16%) and Newspapers (minus 13%). The ABC, SBS and Fairfax Media are Australia’s most trusted media brands.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence slips to 121.4

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 27-Jun-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 0.6% to 121.4 in the week ended 24 June. The four-week moving average ticked up to 120.8, the highest in four months. Consumers’ views towards current financial conditions strengthened by 2.8%, while consumers’ views towards future conditions worsened by 6.5% after three straight weekly gains. Consumers’ views towards current economic conditions rose 5.0% to 116.5, to reach a four-month high. The future economic conditions index remained unchanged at 117. Both indices are comfortably above their long-term average. The "time to buy a household item" sub-index fell 2.3% to 143.0.

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

Pepsi, Coke vow to cut sugar levels

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 26-Jun-18

Members of the Australian Beverages Council have agreed to pursue a 20 per cent reduction in sugar levels in non-alcoholic drinks by 2025. The move is seen as an attempt by soft drink makers such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola to offset calls for a tax on sugary drinks, although both the federal government and Labor have stated that they are against such a tax. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has welcomed the agreement, while Greens leader Richard Di Natale claims that soft drink makers are more interested in making profits than in promoting good health.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BEVERAGES COUNCIL LIMITED, PEPSI-COLA BOTTLERS AUSTRALIA, COCA-COLA AMATIL LIMITED – ASX CCL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, FRUCOR BEVERAGES (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, SUNTORY LIMITED, ASAHI BEVERAGES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY