K: Financial and Insurance Services

Three-way fight for ailing Ten

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 19 : 4-Dec-14

Competing bids worth between $A510m and $A664m have been prepared for Australian free-to-air TV group Ten Network, which along with adviser Citigroup is seeking at least $A770m. Pay TV provider Foxtel and US-based ally Discovery Communications are one suitor, and interest has also been voiced by private equity firm Saban Capital Group and hedge fund Anchorage Capital Partners. They would need the approval of News Corporation co-chair Lachlan Murdoch, Crown Resorts chair James Packer and WIN Corporation owner Bruce Gordon

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, SABAN CAPITAL GROUP INCORPORATED, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, CVC ASIA PACIFIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, KOHLBERG KRAVIS ROBERTS AND COMPANY, KKR AND COMPANY LP, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM

Shoes of Prey closes $6.5m Series A round with Khosla Ventures

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Original article by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
BRW – Page: online : 3-Dec-14

Australian online retailer Shoes of Prey has raised $US5.5 million ($A6.5 million) in new venture capital. Companies and individuals that participated in the funding initiative included Khosla Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn, ThirdLove co-founders David Spector and Heidi Zak, Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, and Bill Tai from Southern Cross Venture Partners. The new funds will be used to finance expansion in the US and to construct a new factory in China

CORPORATES
SHOES OF PREY PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS VENTURE PARTNERS PTY LTD, ATLASSIAN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, KHOSLA VENTURES, BLACKBIRD VENTURES PTY LTD, BONOBOS INCORPORATED, THIRDLOVE

Hockey warns living standards could fall

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Dec-14

Australia’s economic growth slowed to just 0.3 per cent in the September 2014 quarter, and by 2.7 per cent year-on-year. Economic growth contracted in all states except New South Wales. The national accounts also show that Australia has entered an "income recession", with real net disposable income contracting in the last two quarters. Treasurer Joe Hockey has urged opposition parties to support government policy in the Senate, warning that a decline in living standards is likely if reforms are not implemented

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PALMER UNITED PARTY, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence Stop-Start Grind Higher

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Dec-14

The ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating for Australia fell by 0.3 per cent to 113.9 in the week ended 30 November 2014. This is a small setback following a solid 1.2 per cent rise in the previous week. Looking through the weekly volatility, consumer confidence is trending modestly higher. Confidence in households’ finances compared with 12 months ago fell by 1.9 per cent. However, expectations of the economic outlook and household finances improved

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

ASIC forced to fold on reform plan

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Original article by Anthony Klan
The Australian – Page: 22 : 3-Dec-14

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) will not go ahead with the proposed Consultation Paper 212 regulations, which were designed to lift the level of professional qualifications to be held by financial planners. ASIC maintains that the decision is due to the Federal Government failing to get amendments to the Future of Financial Advice laws passed by the Senate, making the issue less urgent. However it has emerged that nine industry bodies wrote to the watchdog in 2013 and argued against the push

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FINANCIAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

RBA changes tune, opens door to interest rate cuts if $A stays high

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Dec-14

The Australian dollar rose to $US0.8524 on 2 December 2014, after the Reserve Bank adopted a dovish position on monetary policy. The central bank has had a bias toward raising interest rates for some time, but governor Glenn Stevens has signalled that the cash rate could be cut again in 2015 if the dollar remains high. The Reserve Bank left the cash rate on hold at its final meeting for 2014

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, BARCLAYS BANK PLC, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Tech start-ups flood in through the back door

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 3-Dec-14

A growing number of emerging technology companies are electing to list on the Australian sharemarket via a so-called "backdoor listing". More than 20 such companies have done so in 2014 or propose this means of listing, although the Australian Securities & Investments Commission has some concerns about the trend. However, the ASX’s Eddie Grieve stresses that every company that lists on the market is subject to the same level of scrutiny

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, GTT VENTURES PTY LTD, CIRRUS NETWORKS PTY LTD, XTV NETWORKS, COVATA LIMITED – ASX CVT, SKYFII LIMITED – ASX SKF, GRAYSONLINE AUCTIONEERS, GRT PTY LTD, MPIRE MEDIA PTY LTD, DIGITAL CC LIMITED – ASX DCC, STREAM GROUP LIMITED – ASX SGO, DECIMAL SOFTWARE LIMITED – ASX DSX, ZIPTEL LIMITED – ASX ZIP, YONDER AND BEYOND LIMITED, ENVERRO LIMITED – ASX ERR, BIG REVIEW TV LIMITED, CROWD MOBILE, YPB GROUP, INTERGEN (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, MIGME LIMITED – ASX MIG, 1-PAGE LIMITED – ASX 1PG, ECP ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

CBA shuffles executive ranks

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 23 : 2-Dec-14

The successor to Grahame Petersen as group executive for business and private banking at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has been announced. Adam Bennett joined CBA in 2004 from consultancy AT Kearney to work in the IT division, and served as CIO during the core banking system overhaul that experts say has allowed CBA to become the leader in the use of banking technology solutions. The business banking unit is the second largest at CBA after retail banking

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AT KEARNEY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

CBA backs university’s quantum leap

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 2-Dec-14

Research into the development of quantum computers at the University of New South Wales has been given a boost via a $A5m investment by the Commonwealth Bank. Michelle Simmons, the head of the university’s Centre for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology, says the investment will help Australia to maintain its status as a world leader in the technology. She is also hoping for financial support from the Federal Government

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES. CENTRE FOR QUANTUM COMPUTATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Cabcharge lashes ‘illegal’ Uber

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Original article by Andrew Main
The Australian – Page: 22 : 27-Nov-14

Stockholders at the 26 November 2014 AGM of taxi fare payment services group Cabcharge rejected the remuneration report with a "no" vote of 57%. However the option to dismiss the entire board of directors, as this was the fourth year in succession for more than 25% to be opposed, was only backed by 2.1%. Meanwhile chair Russell Balding used his address to strongly criticise the Uber smartphone app business, especially its UberX service. He argued the arrangement under which private vehicle owners car share in exchange for payment was illegal

CORPORATES
CABCHARGE AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CAB, UBER TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LAZARD PTY LTD, ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, TRANSPORT FOR NSW