ECONOMIC INDICATORS – AUSTRALIA

Activism to rise as M&A at highest since 2007

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 13-Apr-18

Data from Dealogic shows that $US32.8bn ($A42.3bn) worth of mergers and acquisitions have been announced in Australia so far in 2018. Neil Pathak of Gilbert + Tobin says M&A activity in the near-term is unlikely to be affected by heightened financial market volatility or concerns about a trade war between the US and China. The law firm also anticipates that shareholder activists will continue to target listed companies.

CORPORATES
DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, GILBERT AND TOBIN LAWYERS, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELLIOTT MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, ARDENT LEISURE GROUP – ASX AAD, QUINTIS LIMITED – ASX QIN, AWE LIMITED – ASX AWE, ISENTIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX ISD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, HARBOUR ENERGY LIMITED, TRIBECA INVESTMENT PARTNERS PTY LTD, BENNELONG FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, UNIBAIL-RODAMCO, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD

Employment at record high but over 2.5m looking for more work

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Apr-18

A Roy Morgan survey shows that 1.21 million Australians were unemployed (8.9% of the workforce) in March 2018, a decrease of 26,000 (down 0.4%) on a year ago. In addition, 1.36 million Australians (10.0% of the workforce) are now under-employed, working part-time and looking for more work, a rise of 258,000 in a year (up 1.6%). The figures also show that a record 12,374,000 Australians were employed in March – an increase of 399,000 over the last year. Roy Morgan’s real unemployment figure of 8.9% for March is substantially higher than the current ABS estimate for February 2018 of 5.6%. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says that given the large number of Australians directly, or even indirectly impacted, by unemployment and under-employment it is no surprise that issues relating to unemployment, job security and the search for jobs is one of the key issues Australians mention unprompted when asked about the biggest problem facing Australia in early in 2018.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Business Confidence down in March to 115.4

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Apr-18

In Australia, Business Confidence fell 4.6pts (-3.8%) to 115.4 in March 2018, according to the latest Roy Morgan Business Single Source survey. However, Business Confidence remains 1.6pts higher than a year ago and continues its best start to a year since 2014, averaging 119.3 in the first three months of 2018. Some 52.3% of businesses (down 1ppt) now expect "good times" for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 40.1% (up 1ppt) expect "bad times". Meanwhile, 51.2% (up 7.7ppts) say their own business will be "better off" financially this time next year, while 17.8% (up 0.7ppt) expect the business to be "worse off" this time next year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Aussies dare to splash the cash

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Apr-18

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that retail sales increased by 0.6 per cent in February, while growth in sales for January has been upwardly revised to two per cent. Rahul Bajoria and Krishna Goradia of Barclays say that the February sales data may have been boosted by an increase in Chinese tourists for the lunar new year. Department stores recorded the strongest growth in sales during February, at 1.5 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, BARCLAYS BANK PLC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence falters amidst market fears, down 1.9pts to 115.5

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Apr-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 1.6% to 115.5 in the week ended 1 April, on the back of a 0.9% decline the prior week. Views towards current economic conditions edged up 0.7% to 102.5, and sentiment around future economic conditions fell for the second straight week, down another 1.1%. Households’ views towards current financial conditions slipped 0.8% following a 3.1% decline previously. Consumers were also pessimistic about future financial conditions, with a fall of 2.3% unwinding much of the 2.8% rise in the previous week.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.1pts to 117.4

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-Mar-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 0.9% to 117.4 in the week ended 25 March, following a 2.2% bounce previously. Views towards current economic conditions deteriorated by 6.8% to 101.9, its lowest value in 18 weeks. Future economic conditions were also hit, falling 3.6% to 108.7, a five-week low. Households’ views towards current financial conditions fell 3.1%, partially unwinding the 6.4% rise previously. Meanwhile, consumers were more optimistic about future financial conditions, which rose 2.8% to 130.2 – its highest since February 2017.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Jobs cool RBA’s outlook on rates

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 19 & 30 : 23-Mar-18

The Australian dollar fell in local trading on 22 March in response to data showing that the number of jobs created in February was below expectations at 17,500. Australia’s unemployment rate rose from 5.5 per cent to 5.6 per cent during the month, while the labour participation rate also increased. Economists suggest that the jobs data means the Reserve Bank is unlikely to increase official interest rates in the near-term. Meanwhile, the strength of the US economy has prompted the Federal Reserve to flag three interest rates rises in 2019, in addition to another two in 2018.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 2.5pts to 118.5

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Mar-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence rose 2.2% to 118.5 in the week ended 8 March, largely reversing the previous 2.5% decline. The improvement in sentiment was broad based, with households particularly optimistic about near-term financial conditions. Views towards current economic conditions edged up 0.3%. This subindex remains well above its long-term average. Sentiment around future conditions rose 1.2%, undoing much of the 1.9% decline in the previous week. Household sentiment towards current and future financial conditions improved materially (6.4% and 2.6% respectively), following consecutive falls in the two previous weeks.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Japan rises to second-biggest trade partner

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Original article by Rowan Callick
The Australian – Page: 21 : 19-Mar-18

New figures show that Japan has again become Australia’s second-biggest trading partner, having relinquished this status to the US in 2015-16. There was an 18 per cent increase in Australian exports to Japan in 2016-17, while the total value of two-way trade between Australia and Japan rose by 13 per cent to $A69bn. Two-way trade between Australia and the US totalled $A66bn. The figures also show that Australia exported a total of $A63bn worth of iron ore in 2016-17, ahead of coal ($A54bn) and education services ($A28bn).

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA JAPAN ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE. BUREAU OF RESOURCES AND ENERGY ECONOMICS, IMPEX CORPORATION, JERA, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence down 3pts to 116.0 after poor GDP result

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Mar-18

ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence fell 2.5% to 116 in the week ended 11 March, partially unwinding gains over the previous two weeks. The fall was broad-based, with households particularly pessimistic about current financial conditions. Views towards current economic conditions declined 3.5%, partially reversing the previous 5.1% rise. Sentiment around future conditions slipped 1.9%. The future conditions index still remains well above the levels seen for most of 2017, although it has slipped below its long-run average. Households’ pessimism towards financial conditions extended the previous week’s move, with the current and future sub-indices falling 5.5% and 1.0%, bringing them to five and 14-week lows respectively.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ