Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 31-Aug-16
New home approvals have risen to their highest level in more than a year in July 2016. Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on 30 August 2016 show that total new home approvals rose 11 per cent to 20,987. It is difficult to say whether the rise in approvals is the result of strong demand or oversupply.
CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD
Original article by Kylar Loussikian
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 29-Aug-16
Australian businesswoman Gina Rinehart is believed to be considering a joint bid for the S. Kidman & Company rural property empire. The proposal would result in Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting taking a 66 per cent stake in Kidman, while the balance would be bought by Shanghai CRED Real Estate. The Chinese group recently withdrew from the consortium that had its bid to acquire Kidman blocked by the Federal Government. Rinehart has actively been investing in rural properties in recent years.
CORPORATES
S KIDMAN AND COMPANY PTY LTD,{SPAC}HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD,{SPAC}SHANGHAI CRED REAL ESTATE STOCK COMPANY LIMITED,{SPAC}SHANGHAI PENGXIN GROUP COMPANY LIMITED,{SPAC}AUSTRALIAN RURAL CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX ARC,{SPAC}AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY,{SPAC}AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET,{SPAC}GENIUS LINKS ASSET MANAGEMENT,{SPAC}LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA,{SPAC}ERNST AND YOUNG
Original article by Kylar Loussikian
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Aug-16
Dakang Australia’s hopes of gaining Federal Government approval for the acquisition of S. Kidman & Company may be boosted by Shanghai CRED Real Estate’s decision to withdraw from the consortium. Shanghai Pengxin will now be able to seek an additional Australian partner for the consortium, which might be sufficient to allay the national interest concerns which prompted the sale of Kidman to be blocked.
CORPORATES
S KIDMAN AND COMPANY PTY LTD, DAKANG AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, SHANGHAI CRED REAL ESTATE STOCK COMPANY LIMITED, SHANGHAI PENGXIN GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, ERNST AND YOUNG, CAPITAL HILL ADVISORY, GENIUS LINKS ASSET MANAGEMENT, AUSGRID PTY LTD, STATE GRID CORPORATION OF CHINA, CHEUNG KONG INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED, CONSOLIDATED PASTORAL COMPANY PTY LTD, SHANGHAI ZHONGFU GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, VAN DIEMEN’S LAND COMPANY
Original article by Samantha Hutchinson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Aug-16
Lindsay Fox’s logistics group Linfox is still interested in acquiring S Kidman & Company. The sale process has been complicated by the decision of the Foreign Investment Review Board to block the sale of the pastoral empire to Chinese buyers. Ray White rural agent Bruce Gunning says government interference has resulted in the politicisation of transactions in the rural property market.
CORPORATES
S KIDMAN AND COMPANY PTY LTD, LINFOX PTY LTD, SHANGHAI PENGXIN GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, GENIUS LINK ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, RAY WHITE RURAL, VICTOR SMORGON GROUP, CAPITAL HILL ADVISORY PTY LTD
Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 11-Aug-16
Aussie Home Loans chairman John Symond says the residential property market is "still healthy." He believes that house prices may rise by 10 to 15 per cent for the next three years. Prospects for detached housing bought by owner-occupiers on Australia’s east coast are quite solid, but apartments will underperform because of oversupply, which is particularly evident in western and inner-south suburbs of Sydney and Docklands in Melbourne.
CORPORATES
AUSSIE HOME LOANS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS
Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Aug-16
Preliminary data from Corelogic shows that Sydney boasted a residential auction clearance rate of more than 80 per cent on the weekend of 6-7 August 2016, compared with 78.3 per cent at the same time in 2015. The clearance rate in Melbourne was 76.1 per cent, down from 78.5 per cent a year ago. The Reserve Bank’s move to reduce the cash rate to a record low of 1.5 per cent prompted renewed activity among first-home buyers, although auctioneer Damien Cooley notes that they are still being edged out by property investors.
CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, GOODYER DONNELLEY REAL ESTATE, BELLE PROPERTY PTY LTD, McGRATH LIMITED – ASX MEA, CBRE PTY LTD, HOCKING STUART PTY LTD, RAY WHITE REAL ESTATE
Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 4-Aug-16
The vacancy rate in Sydney’s CBD office market declined to 5.6 per cent in the first half of 2016. Figures from the Property Council’s half yearly "Office Market Report", to be released on 4 August, also show that Perth is experiencing a very different trend, with the office vacancy rate rising to 21.8 per cent. Nationwide, the CBD vacancy rate rose marginally to 11 per cent.
CORPORATES
PROPERTY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, JONES LANG LASALLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, CBRE PTY LTD
Original article by Nick Lenaghan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 2-Aug-16
The GPT Metro Office Fund’s independent directors have expressed their support for a takeover offer from Growthpoint, which was judged to be superior to a rival bid from Centuria. Consequently, the latter decided against pursuing its bid. Investors in the GPT Metro fund can choose to receive either $A1.25 in cash and 0.3968 Growthpoint securities for each unit they hold or a cash offer of around $A2.50 per unit.
CORPORATES
GPT METRO OFFICE FUND – ASX GMF, CENTURIA METROPOLITAN REIT – ASX CMA, GROWTHPOINT PROPERTIES AUSTRALIA – ASX GOZ, GROWTHPOINT PROPERTIES LIMITED
Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 25-Jul-16
Preliminary data from CoreLogic shows that Sydney’s residential auction clearance rate was 75.3 per cent in the week to 23 July 2016, with 448 homes going under the hammer. The clearance rate in Melbourne was 72.4 per cent, with 515 properties scheduled for auction during the week. Both cities recorded a sharp fall in auction numbers compared with the same period in 2015. James Andrews of Ray White Thornleigh expects an upturn in homes put up for auction as the Spring selling season approaches.
CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RAY WHITE REAL ESTATE, DOMAIN.COM.AU, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, GREG HOCKING GROUP PTY LTD, HODGES REAL ESTATE
Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 5-Jul-16
The post-election reconfiguration of the Australian parliament could affect the sale of S. Kidman & Company. Dakang Australia Holdings is expected to try again to buy Kidman, after its acquisition proposal was rejected by Treasurer Scott Morrison. Senators Adam Bandt, Pauline Hanson, Nick Xenophon and Bob Katter are likely to oppose the sale of Kidman to foreigners.
CORPORATES
S KIDMAN AND COMPANY PTY LTD, DAKANG AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, SHANGHAI CRED REAL ESTATE STOCK COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, DOMACOM LIMITED
ABIX 