K: Financial and Insurance Services

Thorburn to take two long breaks

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro, Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 18-Dec-18

National Australia Bank has advised that CFO Gary Lennon will become acting CEO while Andrew Thorburn is on extended leave. Thorburn will go on annual leave after NAB’s upcoming AGM, but he will return to work before the final report of the financial services royal commission is released on 1 February. He will subsequently go on long service leave for a month. Thorburn says the two breaks will allow him to "reflect and recharge". It has been a challenging year for the banking sector, and NAB in particular.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

How to invest in the political maelstrom

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 15 & 22 : 18-Dec-18

Jason Steed of JP Morgan says a certain amount of sovereign risk has been priced into Australian sharemarket valuations ahead of the 2019 federal election. He notes that while there is some concern among investors about the prospecting of a Labor government, the Coalition has not very pro-business either. He adds that although the financial services sector in particular faces some headwinds in 2019, investors have already largely priced in the political and regulatory risks.

CORPORATES
JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, ALUMINA LIMITED – ASX AWC, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL

Super watchdog failing to bite back

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 13 & 15 : 17-Dec-18

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s proposed changes to the member outcomes test for superannuation funds’ trustees have been criticised by industry bodies. Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees CEO Eva Scheerlinck says the revised standards should have given greater priority to net investment returns, noting that the purpose of the reforms was to address the issue of super funds that consistently underperform. A draft report from the Productivity Commission in June had advocated a much stricter outcomes test.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SUPERANNUATION TRUSTEES, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AMP SUPERANNUATION LIMITED, NM SUPERANNUATION

Dwyer faces opposition to re-election

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 15 : 17-Dec-18

Proxy firms Ownership Matters and ISS are opposing Paula Dwyer’s re-election to the ANZ board at its AGM on 19 December. They cite her heavy workload as chair of Tabcorp and Healthscope as their reasoning behind their objection. ANZ and National Australia Bank will hold their AGMs on the same day, with NAB’s remuneration report almost certain to attract a "first strike", although it is uncertain as to whether ANZ’s report will suffer the same fate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES INCORPORATED, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Investors facing a year of risks

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 17-Dec-18

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 has shed 7.6 per cent so far in 2018, having peaked at a 10-year high of 6,373.5 points in August. However, market strategists are upbeat about the outlook for local shares in 2019, with a median forecast for the S&P/ASX 200 to gain 11 per cent in the next year. Domestic and global factors may weigh on market sentiment in 2019, including the economic outlook, falling Australian house prices, the prospect of interest rate rises in the US and Europe, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding Britain’s exit from the European Union.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MST MARQUEE, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

NAB faces even bigger remuneration strike

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 14-Dec-18

Investors who account for more than 213 million shares in Westpac abstained from voting on the bank’s remuneration report at its 2018 AGM. Had these shares been voted, the proportion of votes cast that rejected the report could have been much higher than the 63 per cent that was recorded. Meanwhile, there is speculation that the "no" vote at National Australia Bank’s AGM could be at least 70 per cent. Key issues for shareholders are likely to be the bonus received by former executive Andrew Hagger and NAB’s decision to move chairman Ken Henry to a single variable pay structure.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

New housing loans drop 7.4pc in quarter

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Original article by Samantha Bailey
The Australian – Page: 19 : 13-Dec-18

A new report from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority shows that $89.2bn worth of new mortgage loans were written in the September quarter, which is 7.4 per cent lower than previously. However, authorised deposit-taking institutions have reported a 5.4 per cent increase in the total value of housing loans in the year to September. Chris Bedingfield of Quay Global Investors says the annual rate of house construction is now too high, given that banks are tightening their lending criteria. He adds that the Reserve Bank is now more likely to reduce rather than raise the cash rate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, QUAY GLOBAL INVESTORS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Westpac first to feel wrath of investors

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis, Paul Gardiner
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 13-Dec-18

Westpac’s remuneration report was rejected by 64.2 per cent of shareholders at its AGM on 12 December, the largest "no" vote against a top-20 stock since the "two-strikes" rule was introduced in 2011. Westpac chairman Lindsay Maxsted has acknowledged investors’ angst and says the bank will consider the issues raised at the AGM. Argo Investments CEO Jason Beddow also expects National Australia Bank and the ANZ Bank to experience a big protest vote at their upcoming AGMs, although he adds that it is uncertain whether this will lead to a significant change in remuneration policies.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ARGO INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX ARG, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Expect the RBA to hold fire on rates

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Original article by James Glynn
The Australian – Page: 27 : 13-Dec-18

The Reserve Bank is still more likely to tighten rather than ease monetary policy, despite recent comments by governor Philip Lowe. He was most likely just outlining how the central bank could be expected to respond – including the potential for quantitative easing – in the event of an economic downturn. Although the Reserve Bank is still concerned about issues such as an emerging credit crunch, the odds still favour a rate rise, although this is unlikely to be for some time.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Early signs of tinsel raise ho-ho-hopes of a rally

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 13-Dec-18

Australia’s benchmark index posted its second-largest one-day gain for 2018 on 12 December, while some key Asian markets also rallied amid signs of a thawing of relations between the US and China. Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200’s forward price-earnings ratio fell below its long-term average of about 14 times on 10 December and the index’s estimated dividend yield reached a two-year high of 5.2 per cent. It should also be noted that over the last two decades, the S&P/ASX 200 has gained an average of two per cent during the last two weeks of a calendar year.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, HANG SENG INDEX, NIKKEI 225 INDEX, KOSPI INDEX, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD