K: Financial and Insurance Services

Epidemic will create merger and acquisition opportunities

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 17 & 19 : 24-Feb-20

Tony Damian of law firm Herbert Smith Freehills expects mergers and acquisitions activity in the Asia-Pacific region to remain strong in 2020. This is despite challenges such as the coronavirus outbreak. Damian forecasts that private equity firms and superannuation funds will be a major driver of M&A activity in Australia during 2020. Meanwhile, data from Refinitiv shows that the value of announced M&A deals in Australia has topped $US14.8bn in the year to date, compared with just $US5.4bn at the same time in 2019.

CORPORATES
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, REFINITIV AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Markets hit fresh record high

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 26 : 21-Feb-20

The Australian sharemarket has gained 7.2 per cent so far in 2020, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 reaching a new intra-day high of 7,197.2 points on 20 February. The rally saw a number of blue-chip stocks rise to new highs. Meanwhile, the Australian dollar fell to its lowest level in more than a decade in response to data showing that the unemployment rate rose to 5.3 per cent in January. This in turn heightened market expectations of an official interest rate cut by August.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Westpac warns of hit to bottom line

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Original article by Aleks Vickovich
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 20-Feb-20

Westpac has used a market update for the first quarter of 2019-20 to advise that its earnings for the financial year will be affected by factors such as the Austrac scandal, storms and the bushfires crisis. Citigroup has responded by downgrading its half-year earnings per share forecast by seven per cent, while its forecast for the full year has been reduced by five per cent. Westpac could face fines of up to $2bn for breaching anti-money laundering laws, while it is the subject of two class actions over the scandal.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE

Investors shrug off weak outlook, virus threat

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 20-Feb-20

Pieter Stoltz of UBS notes that 28 per cent of Australia’s large-capitalisation stocks have exceeded their dividend expectations so far in the February reporting season. He says this may be due to factors such as demand for stable income or limited investment opportunities. Stoltz adds that 31 per cent of large companies have upgraded their earnings guidance, while just 19 per cent have downgraded their earnings guidance.

CORPORATES
UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Reserve Bank wary of risks from low rates

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 25 : 19-Feb-20

The minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s board meeting for February show that the central bank considered the potential downside risks of further easing monetary policy when it left interest rates on hold. The board also noted that the coronavirus outbreak presents a risk to the economic outlook for both China and Australia in the near-term. Most economists expect an official interest rate cut in April or May, and the futures market has fully priced in a rate cut by October.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Home loans lift on property recovery

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 20 : 17-Feb-20

A report from Deloitte notes that there was a seven per cent decline in new mortgage settlements in 2019. However, the latest edition of its Australian Mortgage Report shows that lenders and brokers expect a 2-3 per cent increase in mortgage settlements in 2020. Heather Baister of Deloitte says mid-tier lenders such as Macquarie and Citibank could benefit the most from the expected upturn in settlements.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, CITIBANK PTY LTD

Investors see windfall from iron ore giants

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Original article by Vesna Poljak, William McInnes, Lucas Baird, Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 20 : 17-Feb-20

Futures pricing suggests that the Australian sharemarket will shed about 0.2 per cent when trading resumes on 17 February, after the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 approached a record high in the previous session. The earnings season will be a key focus for investors in the next week, with speculation that BHP and Fortescue Metals Group will increase their dividend payouts due to a strong iron ore price. The impact of the bushfires and the coronavirus on some companies will also be closely scrutinised.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

From bad to worse for AMP: $2.5bn loss, $6.3bn outflows, more to come

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian – Page: 19 & 23 : 14-Feb-20

Wealth manager AMP has posted a statutory loss of $2.5bn for the 2019 calendar year, while its underlying profit fell by 32 per cent to $464m. A $2.35bn impairment charge in the first half was the major contributor to the big loss. Meanwhile, AMP’s wealth division recorded net cash outflows of $6.3bn for the year, and CEO Francesco De Ferrari says outflows are likely to be high again in 2020. AMP has advised that its customer remediation program is expected to be completed in 2021.

CORPORATES
AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

Rates to stay low ‘for decades’: RBA

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Original article by Cliona O’Dowd
The Australian – Page: 19 & 29 : 14-Feb-20

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has conceded that the coronavirus outbreak is likely to have a near-term impact on the economy, although he does not expect the outlook for 2020 to be significantly affected. He adds that the Australian economy will benefit from stimulus measures in China when the virus is brought under control. Lowe has also warned that climate change has ‘profound’ economic implications for Australia, while he says official interest rates may remain low for a long time.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

NAB may delay MLC split after sound result

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 23 : 14-Feb-20

A trading update from National Australia Bank shows that it booked a cash profit of $1.65bn for the first quarter of its financial year. This is one per cent higher than the quarterly average for the second half of fiscal 2019. Revenue increased by less than one per cent for the quarter, while expenses were three per cent higher. Meanwhile, NAB has signalled that the proposed demerger of its MLC wealth management could be postponed due to the challenging business conditions at present.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MLC LIMITED