K: Financial and Insurance Services

Banks shares set to rise as investors focus on dividends

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 8-Oct-15

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Banks Index has shed 20 per cent since April 2015, and Macquarie says the downturn in bank share prices has created a buying opportunity for investors. Macquarie expects the forthcoming dividend payouts by National Australia Bank, Westpac and the ANZ Bank will drive investor activity in the banking sector, which in turn should boost the share prices of bank stocks.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 BANKS INDEX, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

$A tipped to reach US75c as rates call spurs rally

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Original article by Stephen Cauchi
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 39 : 8-Oct-15

The Australian dollar was buying $US0.718 late in trading on 7 October 2015, and some analysts are upbeat about its near-term outlook. BK Asset Management’s Boris Schlossberg says the currency could test the $US0.75 level if there is an upturn in commodity prices during the final months of 2015. Richard Franulovich of Westpac Institutional Bank says the currency could also benefit from any decline in the US dollar on a trade-weighted basis.

CORPORATES
BK ASSET MANAGEMENT, WESTPAC INSTITUTIONAL BANK, GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

IOOF slapped with class action

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Original article by Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 8-Oct-15

Australian-listed financial services group IOOF Holdings faces a shareholder class action over claims that staff in its research department failed to comply with disclosure requirements. The legal action has been launched by law firm Maurice Blackburn with financial backing from UK-based Harbour Litigation Funding. The class action will be open to investors who bought IOOF shares between December 2013 and June 2015.

CORPORATES
IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, MAURICE BLACKBURN PTY LTD, HARBOUR LITIGATION FUNDING LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, LONSEC LIMITED, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD

ASX tipped to reach 6200 by end-2016

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 7-Oct-15

Citigroup is upbeat about the outlook for global sharemarkets, with equity strategist Robert Buckland suggesting that the market has entered a "maturing bull" phase. The S&P 500 in the US and Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 have risen strongly so far in October 2015, and Citigroup now expects the ASX 200 to top 6,200 points by the end of 2016. Its previous forecast for this date was 6,000 points.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL ALL COUNTRY WORLD INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence faces uphill battle – now at 110.0

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Oct-15

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia fell by 0.5 per cent to 110.0 in the week ended 4 October 2015. This takes the cumulative fall over the last fortnight to 3.9 per cent, which retraces almost half of the record bounce in response to the appointment of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister. Results across the sub-indices were mixed. Confidence in the economic outlook over the next five years fell by 5.6 per cent and remains well below average. In addition, views on household finances compared with a year ago declined 3.6 per cent to the lowest level since mid-June.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

RBA urged not to cut interest rate

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 6-Oct-15

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s "shadow board" believes that the cash rate should either be left at two per cent for the next six months or increased. Shadow board member Mark Crosby says economic reforms such as tax cuts would do more to stimulate the economy than further rate cuts. He adds that more rate cuts may increase the debt problem in Australia. Crosby also says the growing expectation that rates will soon rise in the US should prompt the Reserve Bank to leave rates on hold.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

November RBA rate cut gains traction

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Original article by Rose Powell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 5-Oct-15

Data from Bloomberg shows that financial markets believe there is a 27 per cent chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia will reduce the cash rate by 25 basis points on 6 October 2015. Economists have cited factors such as the recent fall in the value of the Australian dollar and an improvement in business confidence as some of the factors that will influence the central bank’s decision. Citigroup anticipates a rate cut in November.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, BLOOMBERG LP, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence falls 3.9pts to 110.6 after Turnbull ‘bounce’

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Sep-15

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia fell by 3.4 per cent to 110.6 in the week ended 27 September 2015. This partially retraces the record 8.7 per cent bounce in the previous week in response to the appointment of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister. The decline in confidence was broad-based across the subindices. In particular, confidence in the economy over the next 12 months fell by 7.5 per cent, while confidence in the economy over the next five years fell by 1.5 per cent. The levels of both subindices are below their long-run average.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ASX loses $55b in Glencore-led sell-off

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Original article by Stephen Cauchi
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 30-Sep-15

The Australian sharemarket fell sharply on 29 September 2015, with the S&P/ASX 200 shedding 3.8 per cent to close at 4,918.4. The slump was prompted by a big fall in the share price of UK-listed Glencore, with the resources sector being hardest hit. BHP Billiton was down 6.6 per cent to a seven-year low of $A21.61 and Paladin Energy was 13.1 per cent lower at $A0.165. Meanwhile, the ANZ/Roy Morgan consumer confidence index fell by 3.4 per cent in the week ended 27 September, following a sharp rise after Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, PALADIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX PDN, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, KAROON GAS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX KAR, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ARRIUM LIMITED – ASX ARI, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN STOCK REPORT LIMITED, GLENCORE PLC, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX

Stocks to buy in uncertain times

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Original article by Vanessa Desloires
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 29-Sep-15

John Conomos of Macquarie Securities says a number of Australian-listed stocks should perform well amid the current volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets. Telstra, ResMed and Aristocrat Leisure are deemed to have the lowest sensitivity to uncertainty, based on Macquarie’s metrics. Other stocks include TPG Telecom, CSL, Stockland, Federation Centres, Caltex, Wesfarmers and Bank of Queensland.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE SECURITIES PTY LTD, RESMED INCORPORATED – ASX RMD, ARISTOCRAT LEISURE LIMITED – ASX ALL, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, CL PLASTICS AND CONSULTANTS PTY LTD, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, FEDERATION CENTRES – ASX FDC, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB