BUSINESS FORECASTING – AUSTRALIA

ASX faces income loss after fee cuts

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Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 25-Jul-14

Analysts do not expect a move by ASX Limited to cut some fees to have much long-term impact on the stock market operator’s earnings. The ASX will reduce fees on over-the-counter derivatives and interest rate futures in October 2014. The changes include a shift from flat rate fees to a system of volume-based fees for derivatives clients. Ryan Fisher of Goldman Sachs expects the new fee structure to enhance the ASX’s competitiveness

CORPORATES
ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX|GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD|LCH.CLEARNET SA|CHI-X AUSTRALIA PTY LTD|COUNCIL OF FINANCIAL REGULATORS

Challenge for Helloworld chief

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Original article by Lisa Allen
The Australian – Page: 21 : 24-Jul-14

Helloworld has been named "Best Travel Agency Group" by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents. However its rebranding of the Harvey World Travel, Travelscene, Jetset Travel and Travelworld networks it owns has meant the likely loss of 100-plus individual agencies unhappy at the change. This has forced Helloworld to warn of a 2014-15 EBITDAI decline, by as much as $A10m. Recently appointed CEO Elizabeth Gaines, who sits on the board of Fortescue Metals Group as well, is confident the share price will recover after falling to $A0.26

CORPORATES
HELLOWORLD LIMITED – ASX HLO|FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG|THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION OF TRAVEL AGENTS LIMITED

BHP surge sets stage for buyback

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 & 24 : 24-Jul-14

BHP Billiton expects its iron ore output for 2014-15 to top 245 million tonnes, after production in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for 2013-14 rose to about 225 million tonnes. Most analysts had forecast that output for 2014-15 will be around 230 million tonnes. Glyn Lawcock of UBS says the upbeat production forecast could prompt BHP to reveal a share buyback program when its 2013-14 financial results are released in August 2014

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP|UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD|RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO|FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG|VALE SA|DEUTSCHE BANK AG|PENGANA CAPITAL LIMITED

Top firms see better times on the horizon

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Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 27-28 : 18-Jul-14

Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Beaton Research + Consulting have issued their latest survey of business confidence among the leading commercial law firms. It covers the second quarter of calendar 2014, and 31 firms with total revenue of $A3.6bn per annum. Among the findings are that the net ratio of firms seeing conditions as negative has fallen to 23% from 28%, but that among top-tier providers the drop has been from 50% to just 14%. Out of 15 practice areas looked at by the research, an improvement is forecast for 13

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, BEATON RESEARCH AND CONSULTING PTY LTD

Woodside lifts output target

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Original article by Brian Robins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 18-Jul-14

Australian-listed Woodside Petroleum produced 23.5 million barrels of oil equivalent in the second quarter of 2014, while sales were 24.8 per cent higher at $US1.67bn. There was an 8.7 per cent increase in output at the Pluto LNG project. Woodside now expects full-year output to be within the range of 89 million to 94 million barrels of oil equivalent

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Rio, FMG ramp up production rates

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 19 : 17-Jul-14

Both Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group on 16 July 2014 announced promising output data for the quarter ending 30 June, with Rio even ahead of forecasts. Iron ore production at its operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was up 11% year-on-year to reach 73.1 million tonnes. Fortescue meanwhile has achieved an annualised iron ore shipments figure of 155 million tonnes. However the price per tonne in the three months was a fifth below the benchmark price, at just $US82

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Woolies under pressure over Masters

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 16-Jul-14

Woolworths’ home improvements division posted a loss of $A139m in 2013, and financial market analysts expect the business to post higher losses in 2014 and 2015. Woolworths itself has forecast that the Masters hardware chain will achieve break-even status in 2016, but Goldman Sachs recently suggested that 2019 is more likely. There are also expectations that Woolworths’ 2013-14 financial results will include impairment charges related to the Masters business

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LOWE’S COMPANIES INCORPORATED, HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE, WESFARMERS BUNNINGS LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, MITRE 10 LIMITED, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Post-budget uncertainty takes toll on CFO confidence

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Original article by Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 16-Jul-14

Deloitte has released the findings of its quarterly survey of Australian CFOs. Some 62 per cent of respondents expect the Federal Government’s May 2014 Budget to adversely affect the economy. Meanwhile, 38 per cent said the Budget will negatively affect their company, although 40 per cent anticipate no impact. The survey for the June quarter also found that 70 per cent of CFOs forecast revenue growth in the next 12 months

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Generational shift may end print: Murdoch

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Original article by Jake Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 14-Jul-14

The co-chair of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, has commented on the future of print media in Australia. He was interviewed by Paul Kelly, editor at large at newspaper "The Australian". Murdoch, who had set up the new publication in 1964, said he was not certain that it would still exist in a format other than the digital version when it turns 70. He noted that younger readers prefer online newspapers, and that these also offer the opportunity to embed video content. Murdoch added that "The Australian" had often struggled to make a profit

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Rio ready to approve bauxite mine

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Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Jul-14

Rio Tinto expects to approve its South of Embley bauxite project at Weipa in Queensland later in 2014. UBS analyst Glyn Lawcock estimates that the project will generate an internal rate of return of about 29 per cent. The mining company will benefit from strong demand for bauxite. The South of Embley project is forecast to produce 22.5 million tonnes of bauxite each year at the initial stage, possibly rising to 50 million tonnes a year

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ALCAN GOVE PTY LTD, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD