Retail investors face lockout from IPOs if proposals adopted

Original article by Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 3-Jun-16

The ASX argues that proposed changes to listing rules are intended to enhance the Australian bourse’s reputation as a market of "quality and integrity". However, the Australian Shareholders’ Association is concerned that the changes outlined in a recent consultation paper will make it harder for retail investors to participate in IPOs. The ASX proposes to introduce a minimum free-float of 20 per cent and scale back the minimum number of shareholders a company must have at the time of its IPO.

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

ASX posts best rise for May since 2005

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 1-Jun-16

The Australian sharemarket lost ground on 31 May 2016, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 0.5 per cent to close at 5,378.6. The Commonwealth Bank was one per cent lower at $A77.43 and BHP Billiton was down 0.8 per cent at $A19.08. However, Select Harvests advanced 6.7 per cent to end the session at $A7.15 and Incitec Pivot was up 2.1 per cent at $A3.45. The market gained 2.4 per cent in May.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, SELECT HARVESTS LIMITED – ASX SHV, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED – ASX IPL, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FLEXIGROUP LIMITED – ASX FXL, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BLOOMBERG LP, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX

Forget May, June’s the time to sell and go away

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 1-Jun-16

The Australian sharemarket has gained nearly 10 per cent since 11 April 2016, which equates to more than 450 points. However, fund managers do not expect the recent rally to be sustained in June, citing factors such as the prospect of an interest rate rise in the US in coming months. Tax loss selling and portfolio rebalancing in the lead-up to the end of the financial year will also influence the near-term direction of the market.

CORPORATES
UBS GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, PEAK ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, OPHIR ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS LIMITED – ASX LNG, CAPITOL HEALTH LIMITED – ASX CAJ, 1-PAGE LIMITED – ASX 1PG, CARDNO LAWSON TRELOAR PTY LTD, CUDECO LIMITED – ASX CDU

Wilson tips difficult six months for stocks

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 31-May-16

The WAM Leaders fund debuted on the Australian sharemarket on 30 May 2016, after raising $A394.3m via an IPO. The listed investment company will invest in S&P/ASX 200 stocks, with a focus on growth-oriented large-capitalisation stocks that are undervalued. Veteran fund manager Geoff Wilson says the fund will not invest in the top-20 stocks at present, as they have performed poorly for investors over the last 12 months. He expects market conditions to be challenging for the next six months.

CORPORATES
WAM LEADERS LIMITED – ASX WLE, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WAM CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX WAM, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, VOCUS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX VOC, MAGELLAN GLOBAL EQUITIES FUND (MANAGED FUND) – ASX MGE

National accounts, US data to steer market sentiment

Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 30-May-16

Futures traders expect the Australian sharemarket to gain 23 points when trading resumes on 30 May 2016, after the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed above 5,400 in the previous trading session. Local economic figures to be released in the coming week includes current account and GDP data for the March quarter, while investors will also be awaiting the release of key US economic indicators, including the latest wages and consumer confidence data.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, BLOOMBERG LP, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL OPEN MARKET COMMITTEE, SECURITIES INDUSTRY AND FINANCIAL MARKETS ASSOCIATION

Industrials good value, says UBS

Original article by Stephen Cauchi
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 30-May-16

UBS strategist David Cassidy notes that Australian industrial stocks are currently trading at more than 18 times forward earnings. In contrast, the long-term average is about 16 times. However, Cassidy has identified a number of industrial stocks that he says still represent value for investors. His top picks include Aristocrat Leisure, Orora, Resmed, Treasury Wine Estates, Crown Resorts and Vocus Communications.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, ORORA LIMITED – ASX ORA, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, VOCUS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX VOC, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, SIRTEX MEDICAL LIMITED – ASX SRX, ANSELL LIMITED – ASX ANN, COMPUTERSHARE LIMITED – ASX CPU, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED – ASX IPL, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN

Capex collapse as mining investment boom unwinds

Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 31 : 27-May-16

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has reported that capital expenditure on buildings and equipment fell by 5.2 per cent in the March 2016 quarter, compared with expectations of a 3.5 per cent decline. Capex in the mining sector fell by 12 per cent and non-mining capex was down 0.4 per cent. Meanwhile, the latest figures show that capex is forecast to total $A89.2bn in 2016-17, compared with a previous forecast of $A82.6bn.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED

It’s Harry at No 1

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 27-May-16

Property developer Harry Triguboff has displaced Gina Rinehart as Australia’s wealthiest individual. Triguboff is ranked first on the 2016 "BRW" Rich 200 List, with estimated wealth of $A10.62bn. Anthony Pratt is the nation’s second-richest person, with a $A10.35bn fortune. Rinehart’s wealth has fallen from $A14.02bn in 2015 to just $A6.6bn, ranking her fourth. The combined wealth of the Rich 200 has risen by almost one per cent in 2016, to a record $A197.3bn. The list includes 53 billionaires, while 19 people appear on the exclusive list for the first time.

CORPORATES
MERITON APARTMENTS PTY LTD, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, CHADSTONE SHOPPING CENTRE, BLACKMORES LIMITED – ASX BKL, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR

Trimmed down miners tipped as next hot sector

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 27-May-16

UBS Small Companies Fund portfolio managers Stephen Wood and David Haddad are upbeat about the outlook for smaller Australian-listed mining companies. They note that many small-capitalisation mining groups have significantly reduced their costs over the last five years, which has made them attractive to investors. UBS favours stocks such as Fortescue Metals Group, Sundance Resources, Whitehaven Coal, Galaxy Resources, Orocobre and Pilbara Minerals.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SUNDANCE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX SDL, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, GALAXY RESEARCH AND PLANNING PTY LTD, OROCOBRE LIMITED – ASX ORE, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

ASX earnings likely to get better, say fund managers

Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 27-May-16

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index has gained almost 10 per cent in the last seven weeks, prompting speculation as to whether the rally can be sustained. The market is now trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of about 16 times earnings, compared with its long-run average of around 14 times. However, Nader Naeimi of AMP Capital is upbeat about the earnings outlook for listed companies, and notes that even a modest increase in earnings will be sufficient to bolster the market.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, BEL-RAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FIDELITY INVESTMENTS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, EQUITY TRUSTEES LIMITED – ASX EQT