K: Financial and Insurance Services

Mirrabooka forks out 7c a share special dividend

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 14-Jul-15

Mirrabooka Investments has reported a 2014-15 profit of $A7.1m, compared with $A7.8m previously. The listed investment company has posted a return of 6.8 per cent for the financial year, and a five-year return of 15.5 per cent. Stocks in its portfolio that performed well in 2014-15 include Toll Holdings, Ansell, Nufarm and Blackmores. Shareholders will receive a final dividend of $A0.065 per share, plus a special dividend of $A0.07 per share.

CORPORATES
MIRRABOOKA INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX MIR, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED, ANSELL LIMITED – ASX ANN, NUFARM LIMITED – ASX NUF, BLACKMORES LIMITED – ASX BKL, LIFESTYLE COMMUNITIES LIMITED – ASX LIC, COVER-MORE GROUP LIMITED – ASX CVO, ISELECT LIMITED – ASX ISU, VEDA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VED, AMA GROUP LIMITED – ASX AMA, SIMS METAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX SGM, JAPAN POST COMPANY LIMITED, CITADEL GROUP, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX MIDCAP 50 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX SMALL ORDINARIES GROSS ACCUMULATION INDEX

Business confidence steadies in June – but for how long?

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Jul-15

A Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey has found that Australian business confidence rose slightly to 114.8 in June 2015, compared with 114.7 in May. While business confidence is now at its highest level since January (114.9), it remains below the five-year average of 117.2 and well below the peak of 136.3 in October 2013. Although business confidence remained steady in June, there was some deterioration in the outlook for how businesses feel regarding their own financial position over the next 12 months, as well as increasing concern that Australia will be facing economic difficulties over the next five years.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

CBA, ANZ tipped to lead $28b in capital raisings

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Original article by Clancy Yeates, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 14-Jul-15

Shares in Australia’s four major banks fell on 13 July 2015, after the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) indicated that they will need to lift their capital by 200 basis points. However, APRA does not think it necessary for the banks to have sufficient capital to rank them in the top quartile globally. Jarrod Martin of Credit Suisse estimates that the banks will need to raise about $A28bn of additional capital to comply with APRA’s recommendation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, 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, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION

Professional indemnity premiums likely to rise

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 13-Jul-15

The cost of professional indemnity insurance for Australian small and medium businesses fell by 18 per cent in 2013-14, according to BizCover. Factors such as strong competition in the sector and excess insurance capacity also resulted in premiums falling by an additional two per cent in 2014-15. However, experts note the growing trend for mergers and acquisitions in the global insurance sector, which may put upward pressure on premiums.

CORPORATES
BIZCOVER PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, ACE INSURANCE COMPANY, CHUBB CORPORATION, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, XL GROUP, CATLIN GROUP, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

With US rates rising, UBS bets on a 70c dollar

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 13-Jul-15

The Australian dollar reached a low of $US0.7372 in the week ended 10 July 2015. UBS Wealth Management expects it to test the $US0.70 level by the end of 2015, with global currency strategist Katherine Klingensmith citing factors such as the slowing Australian economy, the prospect of rate rises in the US and the downturn in commodity prices. BK Asset Management’s Kathy Lien adds that further interest rate cuts are likely in Australia, which would add to bearish sentiment toward the currency.

CORPORATES
UBS WEALTH MANAGEMENT, BK ASSET MANAGEMENT, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BANK OF ENGLAND, DELTEC INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Bell Financial Group rings in strong first half

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 10-Jul-15

Australian-listed Bell Financial Group has posted an $A8m consolidated unaudited profit for the first six months of 2015. This was 300 per cent higher than its result for the same period in 2014. Group revenue was 18 per cent higher, with equity capital markets and equities execution revenue up 37 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. The group’s shares closed 11.6 per cent higher at $A0.48 on 9 July.

CORPORATES
BELL FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX BFG, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, CHI-X AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BELL DIRECT

nib snares World Nomads

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Original article by Tim Binsted
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 9-Jul-15

Australian-listed NIB Holdings has expanded into the travel insurance market with a $A95m deal to buy World Nomads Group. NIB MD Mark Fitzgibbon says World Nomads will complement the group’s core private health insurance business. World Nomads specialises in the distribution of travel insurance policies, and boasted normalised EBITDA of $A10m and revenue of $A117m in 2014-15.

CORPORATES
NIB HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NHF, WORLD NOMADS GROUP PTY LTD, FLIGHT CENTRE TRAVEL GROUP LIMITED – ASX FLT, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AIRBNB INCORPORATED, TRAVEL INSURANCE DIRECT PTY LTD, SURESAVE TRAVEL INSURANCE, LONELY PLANET PUBLICATIONS PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS

Economists adjust bets on another rate cut

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Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 9-Jul-15

The interest rate swap market has priced in an 88 per cent chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia will reduce the cash rate by 25 basis points by the end of 2015. The market now also regards a rate cut in April 2016 as a certainty. Andrew Ticehurst of Nomura Australia expects an interest rate cut in November, while Paul Dales of Capital Economics also anticipates further monetary policy easing.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, NOMURA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED

Aussie’s downward direction continues

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Original article by Mark Mulligan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 9-Jul-15

The Australian dollar was buying $US0.7411 late in trading on 8 July 2015, after falling to $US0.7398 in overnight trading. Factors such as the debt crisis in Greece and the Chinese sharemarket’s downturn have prompted renewed support for so-called "safe haven" currencies. This has been at the expense of commodity currencies such as the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BK ASSET MANAGEMENT

CBA demands penalty interest

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 8-Jul-15

The Federal Court is slated to rule on a proposed class action settlement concerning Willmott Forests and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) on 23 July 2015. Some 3,500 investors have participated in the four-year class action against the fail management investment scheme operator and CBA. However, CBA has been criticised by Australian Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson for requiring class action participants to pay penalty interest rates on their loans.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WILLMOTT FORESTS LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, GREAT SOUTHERN LIMITED