K: Financial and Insurance Services

Resurgent $A tipped to reach US78c mark

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Original article by Timothy Moore
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 13-Jan-17

The Australian dollar peaked at $US0.7472 during the first press conference of US president-elect Donald Trump. Rodrigo Catril of National Australia Bank notes that the Australian dollar has performed better against its US counterpart than other key currencies so far in 2017. Westpac has identified the $US0.7525 level as the next target for the Australian dollar, while the ANZ Bank says it could potentially rise to $US0.78.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

For markets, the devil was in the lack of detail

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 29 : 13-Jan-17

Ewa Turek of Morgan Stanley notes that the first press conference of US president-elect Donald Trump offered few details of the policies he will prioritise after taking office. US markets posted modest gains in response to the press conference, while the Australian market dipped slightly. Garry Laurence of Perpetual adds that investors are waiting for more details of Trump’s policies, as well as guidance regarding the outlook for US interest rates.

CORPORATES
MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, WINGATE ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY WEALTH MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Mining states hit by sharp drop in home loan activity: AFG

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 15 : 12-Jan-17

Listed mortgage broker Australian Finance Group has reported 9.9 per cent growth in home loan lodgements nationwide in calendar 2016. However, there was a 16 per cent downturn in loan lodgements in Western Australia, while lodgements fell by 18 per cent in the Northern Territory. Meanwhile, AFG CEO Brett McKeon says the WA Government’s decision to temporarily increase the first-home owners’ grant by $A5,000 for new homes is unlikely to significantly boost construction activity in the residential property market.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN FINANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX AFG, REAL ESTATE INSTITUTE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, DIGITAL FINANCE ANALYTICS

Key predictor levels to keep a wary eye on

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 12-Jan-17

There are a number of market thresholds that Australian investors should take into account when determining their portfolio strategy for 2017. These include the 20,000-point level for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 6,000 points for Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200, parity between the US dollar and the euro, $US60 a barrel for crude oil and a US bond yield of 2.6 per cent.

CORPORATES
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, DOUBLELINE CAPITAL LP, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, McDONALD’S CORPORATION

Mortgage payments steady as rates rise

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 17 : 11-Jan-17

Data from Deutsche Bank shows that Australians’ home loan repayments now comprise around 17 per cent of their income, which is consistent with the average over the last three decades. The figures also show that mortgage payment account for 63.6 per cent of Sydney borrowers’ weekly income, compared with 45.3 per cent in Melbourne and just 27.3 per cent in Perth. Meanwhile, Paul Bloxham of HSBC says the residential construction boom is nearing its peak.

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, ING DIRECT, DIGITAL FINANCE ANALYTICS

CBA pips BHP again and is tipped to be most traded in 2017

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 11-Jan-17

Some $A67.55bn worth of Commonwealth Bank shares changed hands in 2016, making it the most-traded Australian stock by value for the second consecutive year. Turnover of BHP Billiton shares totalled $A62.71, making it the second-most traded stock by value for the calendar year. Michael Heffernan of Phillip Capital says the banking major is likely to retain the title for some time. Telstra was the most-traded stock by volume for the seventh year in a row.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, PHILLIP CAPITAL LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, ALUMINA LIMITED – ASX AWC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE

NAB client data sent to adult website owner

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 10-Jan-17

An error at National Australia Bank (NAB) has resulted in the transfer of the personal details of 60,000 clients to David Weissenberg’s Real Assets Limited. The business owns domain names of a sexual nature such as sexpornhost.com, porncocktail.com, supersleazy.com and adultorientatedmaterial.com. NAB has reported that Weissenberg responded positively to the bank’s request to correct the error.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, REAL ASSETS LIMITED

Bleak year for Regal as returns in signature funds plunge 25pc

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Original article by Kylar Loussikian
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 10-Jan-17

Regal Funds Management delivered disappointing returns for investors during the first 11 months of calendar 2016. Its Long Short Australian Equity Fund achieved a return of negative 7.37 per cent, while the Tasman Market Neutral Fund posted a return of negative 25.5 per cent. In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index posted a gain of more than seven per cent over the same period. Stocks held by Regal funds that underperformed in 2016 include Estia Health and Syrah Resources.

CORPORATES
REGAL FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ACCUMULATION INDEX, ESTIA HEALTH LIMITED – ASX EHE, SYRAH RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX SYR, GREENCROSS LIMITED – ASX GXL, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, TRIBECA INVESTMENT PARTNERS PTY LTD

Banks a mixed bag for investors

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 15 : 9-Jan-17

Morgan Stanley estimates that the ANZ Bank achieved a total shareholder return of 15.7 per cent in calendar 2016, ahead of National Australia Bank with 12.9 per cent. Westpac and the Commonwealth Bank boasted total shareholder returns of 3.2 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively. The Commonwealth Bank was the top performer over a three-year period, with a TSR of 24.6 per cent. Meanwhile, Macquarie Group forecasts that National Australia Bank will perform best in 2017, with a TSR of 12.8 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 ACCUMULATION INDEX, REGAL FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS. BASEL COMMITTEE ON BANKING SUPERVISION, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

$A one tweet away from a tumble, says Westpac

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 9-Jan-17

Modelling by Westpac suggests that the Australian dollar is about eight per cent below "fair value" at present. Westpac’s Robert Rennie warns that the dollar is vulnerable to another sell-off if US president-elect Donald Trump prompts a trade war with China. Meanwhile, Westpac expects commodity prices to fall in 2017. The bank also anticipates that Australia’s cash rate will remain unchanged while there will be two rate rises in the US.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD