K64 Auxiliary Finance and Insurance Services

AMP wins Chinese approval for life sale

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 10-Feb-20

The China Banking & Insurance Regulatory Commission is understood to have given its approval for AMP’s $2.5 billion divestment of AMP Life to Resolution Life. However, the transaction still has a number of hurdles to overcome, including approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board. Hamish Carlisle from Merlon Capital Partner says that if Chinese regulators have approved the transaction then this should be disclosed to the Australian sharemarket

CORPORATES
CHINA BANKING AND INSURANCE REGULATORY COMMISSION, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AMP LIFE LIMITED, RESOLUTION LIFE GROUP LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, MERLON CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD

Caution urged after euphoric stock recovery

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 26 : 7-Feb-20

Global sharemarkets have rebounded quickly from a sharp fall in response to the coronavirus, with Wall Street reaching a new high and the Australian bourse approaching its record peak. However, equity strategists have warned that the rally may not be sustained; they note that it has been driven by factors such as indications that the coronavirus’s spread may be slowing and the recent move by the People’s Bank of China to increase market liquidity.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA

IPO drought expected to continue into the new year

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 30-Jan-20

Research by HLB Mann Judd shows that 28 companies with a market capitalisation of less than $100m listed on the Australian sharemarket in 2019, compared with 72 in 2018. In total, just 62 companies debuted on the local bourse in 2019, collectively raising $6.91bn. The downturn in IPO activity has carried over into 2020, and HLB Mann Judd partner Nicholas Guest says many owners of high-growth businesses are likely to seek private equity backing rather than an IPO in the current environment.

CORPORATES
HLB MANN JUDD

How CSL and BHP helped drive the index above 7000

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Original article by William McInnes
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 17-Jan-20

The S&P/ASX 200 has taken just over two years to rise from 6,000 points to its new record high of 7,000. The index rose above 6,000 for the first time since the global financial crisis on 7 November 2017. BHP and CSL have been the biggest contributors to the S&P/ASX’s 200 rally since this time, adding 200 and 277 points respectively to the benchmark. Shares in CSL were trading at just $144.59 in November 2017, and the stock rose above $300 for the first time on 16 January.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX,{SPAC}BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP,{SPAC}CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL

Investors ready to turn savage

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Original article by Melissa Yeo
The Australian – Page: 21 : 15-Jan-20

The sharemarket rally has seen the S&P/ASX 200’s price-to-earnings multiple rise to a record high of 18 times. Mirrabooka Investments’ MD Mark Freeman says high valuations means that stocks which fail to meet expectations in the February reporting season will be punished by investors. Meanwhile, Mirrabooka has reported a 2019-20 interim profit of $4.4m, compared with $4.6m previously. Shareholders will receive a first-half dividend of $0.35 per share.

CORPORATES
MIRRABOOKA INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX MIR, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Conditions ideal for melt-up in world markets

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 18 : 10-Jan-20

The S&P/ASX 200 fell just shy of the record 6,893.7 points on 9 January, as tensions between the US and Iran eased. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 reached a new intra-day high. Peter Cecchini of Cantor Fitzgerald says the S&P 500 could potentially reach 3,300 points in the near-term, but he expects it to fall to 2,880 by the end of 2020. However, there is every indication that equities markets in developed countries will continue to rally in the near-term; the Australian market will receive a further boost if the cash rate is reduced in February.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 A-REIT INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, CANTOR FITZGERALD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Investors ride out Iran’s missile attacks

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 9-Jan-20

The price of Brent crude oil has peaked at a four-month high in response to Iran’s missile attacks, while the spot gold price reached an 11-year high. The Australian dollar fell to a three-week low, but the local sharemarket closed only slightly down after clawing back initial losses. Kyle Rodda of IG Markets has downplayed the prospect of a US-Iran war, noting that this would not be in the strategic interests of either country. AMP Capital’s Shane Oliver warns that geopolitical risk will remain an issue in 2020.

CORPORATES
IG MARKETS LIMITED, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Equity boom helps ASX offset fall in IPOs

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 8-Jan-20

The ASX’s latest activity report shows that a total of $66.3bn in capital was raised on the Australian sharemarket in 2019, compared with $98.9bn in 2018. The number of IPOs fell from 132 to just 94 in 2019, amid volatility in the global IPO market and the cancellation of several major floats on the domestic market. Meanwhile, total trades in the ASX’s cash market were 25 per cent higher in the second half of 2019 compared with the previous corresponding period, while the total on-market value traded for the half-year was nine per cent higher than previously.

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX

ASX could hit 7000, but don’t get too excited

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Original article by Luke Housego
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 26 : 7-Jan-20

Market strategists are generally upbeat about the outlook for Australian equities in 2020, with the majority forecasting that the S&P/ASX 200 will reach 7,000 points. However, Chris Nicol of Morgan Stanley expects the benchmark to end the year at just 6,700 points, while Hasan Tevfik of MST Marquee has a year-end target of 7,100. Meanwhile, Damien Boey of Credit Suisse has forecast earnings-per-share growth of seven per cent.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MST MARQUEE, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Japan tipped to lead inbound M&A

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Original article by Lucas Baird
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 6-Jan-20

Alex Cartel of Deutsche Bank expects Japanese companies to pursue more takeover deals in Australia during 2020, following bids for Carlton & United Breweries and DuluxGroup in 2019. He notes that Japan has replaced China as a key driver of inbound mergers and acquisitions deals in the last several years. Simon Ranson of JP Morgan adds that offshore private equity firms are cashed up, noting that factors such as the low Australian dollar will make the nation attractive to them.

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CARLTON AND UNITED BREWERIES, DULUXGROUP LIMITED, ASAHI GROUP, NIPPON PAINT, HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, BELLAMY’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION