ANZ boss braces for slowdown

Original article by Richard Gluyas, Glenda Korporaal, David Rogers, Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 17 & 25 : 4-Sep-19

Harvey Norman chairman Gerry Harvey expects the Reserve Bank of Australia to reduce the cash rate to at least 0.5 per cent, but he says this will do little to stimulate the economy. The RBA signalled on 3 September that official interest rates are likely to remain low for an extended period; ANZ Bank CEO Shayne Elliott says record low interest rates demonstrate that central banks are concerned about the global economic outlook. The RBA’s monthly board meeting coincided with the release of data showing that retail spending fell by 0.1 per cent in July, compared with economists’ expectations of an 0.2 per cent increase.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, LATITUDE FINANCIAL SERVICES AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Exploration dives as miners bank profits

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 21 : 7-Jun-17

A report from PwC shows that the world’s 40 largest mining companies posted a combined profit of $US20bn in 2015, compared with a $US48bn loss in 2015. They also repaid some $US93bn ($A124.4bn) worth of debt in 2016, while combined capital expenditure fell by 41 per cent to a record low of $US50bn. The report also notes that expenditure on exploration fell to $US7.2bn, having peaked at $US21.5bn in 2012.

CORPORATES
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Sydney at risk of housing bubble: UBS report

Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 28-Sep-16

UBS Wealth Management has released a report which concludes that of 18 cities worldwide, Vancouver is the most at risk of a residential property bubble. The UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index report also notes that the risk of a housing bubble in Sydney has increased significantly since 2012, when it was rated the least risky city in the Asia-Pacific region. Stockholm, Munich, San Francisco, Tokyo and Paris are also among the cities that are considered to have a high risk of a housing bubble.

CORPORATES
UBS WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Cross-border M&A to climb, law firm says

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 35 : 15-Oct-15

A Baker & McKenzie report shows that the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions rose by 10 per cent to US375bn ($A518bn) in the September 2015 quarter. However, the number of transactions fell by 16 per cent year-on-year. Baker & McKenzie partner David Holland expects an increase in the proportion of M&A deals that are cross-border transactions. Meanwhile, data from Dealogic shows that some $US88.9bn worth of M&A deals involving Australian companies have been announced so far in 2015.

CORPORATES
BAKER AND McKENZIE, DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, TOLL HOLDINGS LIMITED, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, VEDA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VED, DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION, EMC CORPORATION, ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV, SABMILLER PLC, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Worst competition ranking in 18 years

Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 28-May-15

The latest IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook rates Australia in 18th position in terms of its global competitiveness. The nation was ranked 17th in 2014, but it has been overtaken by New Zealand, which has moved from 20th place to 17th. Australia has also lost ground in the global rankings on the measures of infrastructure, economic performance, international investment and efficiency of government.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA