K: Financial and Insurance Services

Big four looking good on capital

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Original article by Tony Boyd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 40 : 5-Jan-17

Australia’s major banks are unlikely to be affected by a dispute between the European banks and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Predictably, the European banks are resisting the committee’s stricter capital requirements. The committee stated on 4 January 2017 that aid the regulatory reforms would be delayed as more time is needed to finalise some of their aspects. Unlike the European banks, the big four Australian banks have sufficient levels of common equity tier 1 capital to meet the committee’s new requirements.

CORPORATES
BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS. BASEL COMMITTEE ON BANKING SUPERVISION, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, SOCIETE GENERALE SA, UNICREDIT SPA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, FITCH INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

ASX hits 19-month high on China news

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Original article by Jens Meyer, Patrick Commins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 4-Jan-17

The S&P/ASX 200 index closed 1.2 per cent higher at 5,733.2 points on 3 January 2017. Investors were encouraged by a one point rise in China’s Caixin manufacturing PMI, to 51.9 points in December 2016. All sectors benefited from positive investor sentiment. Trading volumes were low as many professional traders are still on holiday.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, SHANGHAI RURAL COMMERCIAL BANK, EVOLUTION MINING LIMITED – ASX EVN, BUBS AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, THE A2 MILK COMPANY LIMITED – ASX A2M, BELLAMY’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX BAL, HUNTER HALL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – ASX HHL, WASHINGTON H SOUL PATTINSON AND COMPANY LIMITED – ASX SOL, GALAXY RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GXY, ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES

ANZ leads in the big four investing game

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Original article by Tony Boyd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 40 : 4-Jan-17

The ANZ Banking Group is selling its 20 per cent stake in the Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank for $A1.8 billion. The transaction will have a positive effect on the bank’s common equity tier 1 capital ratio, raising it to the highest level among Australia’s big four banks. Shareholders have reasons to be satisfied. The bank is likely to increase its return on equity.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, SHANGHAI RURAL COMMERCIAL BANK, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

ANZ fires up Asia exit in $1.8b sale

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 4-Jan-17

ANZ Banking Group is retreating from Asia, with the latest transaction being the sale of its 20 per cent stake in Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank for $A1.8 billion. The stake is being acquired in two equal tranches by China COSCO Shipping Corporation and Shanghai Sino Poland Enterprise Management Development Corporation. The sale will result in a rise in ANZ’s tier one capital ratio from 9.6 per cent to 10 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, SHANGHAI RURAL COMMERCIAL BANK, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED, CHINA COSCO SHIPPING CORPORATION, SHANGHAI SINO POLAND ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, BANK OF TIANJIN COMPANY LIMITED, AMBANK BERHAD

Blue sky for miners, banks tipped in year ahead

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 18 : 23-Dec-16

The S&P/ASX 200 share index rose 0.5 per cent to 5,643.9 points on 22 December 2016. T Rowe Price head of Australian equities Randal Jenneke is optimistic about the stockmarket’s future performance. He expects the S&P/ASX 200 to rise as much as eight per cent by mid-2016. Mining and finance stocks are likely to perform strongly while "defensive yield" stocks will underperform.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, T ROWE PRICE GROUP INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

AustralianSuper, Hostplus blast rivals’ premium hikes

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 18 : 23-Dec-16

Premiums for insurance policies arranged through superanuation funds are rising too fast. Rice Warner reports that the cost of death and total and permanent disability cover has risen 215 per cent on average since the beginning of 2013. IOOF wealth management manager Renato Mota says the rises were necessary because the rates were "unsustainably low".

CORPORATES
RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COMMINSURE, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Westpac subsidiary taken to court on super advice

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Original article by Lucy Battersby
The Age – Page: 19 : 23-Dec-16

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has launched legal action against Westpac Securities Administration Limited (WSAL) and BT Funds Management (BTFM). ASIC alleges in documents filed with the Federal Court’s New South Wales registry on 21 December 2016 that WSAL and BTFM breached the "best interests duty" regulations on 15 occasions during a sales campaign promoting superannuation products.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC SECURITISIES ADMINISTRATION LIMITED, BT FUNDS MANAGEMENT

ASIC raps banks for forex faults

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 22-Dec-16

National Australia Bank and the Commonwealth Bank have agreed to enforceable undertakings from the Australian Securities & ­Investments Commission regarding their wholesale spot foreign exchange businesses. It follows ASIC’s investigation into inappropriate conduct by foreign exchange traders at the two major banks. Three of the nation’s "big four" banks are also the subject of legal action over allegations that they manipulated the bank bill swap rate.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Shake-up in offing after response to ASX outage

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Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 22-Dec-16

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission has released its final report on a review of the ASX’s computer system failure on 19 September 2016. Amongst other things, ASIC has questioned the ASX’s decision to put the market on "enquire" mode rather than respond to a request from rival stock exchange operator Chi-X to shift it to "adjust" mode. ASX MD Dom­inic Stevens says ASIC’s recommendations are being considered and some actions have already been taken in response to the outage.

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, CHI-X AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Split emerges on interest rates forecast

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Original article by Jessica Sier
The Age – Page: 20 : 22-Dec-16

Westpac and ANZ Bank economists expect Australia’s cash rate to remain unchanged in 2017, while National Australia Bank suggests that there is potential for two rate cuts. Financial markets have responded to the release of the minutes of Reserve Bank’s December 2016 board meeting by lifting the chances of a rate rise in 2017 from 40 per cent to 55 per cent. The minutes show that the central bank is concerned about the residential property market and the level of household debt.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD