Dobbed in, found guilty

Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 3-Jun-16

Former investment banker Oliver Curtis could be jailed for up to five years after being convicted of conspiracy to commit insider trading. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission had alleged that he profited by using market-sensitive information to trade contracts for difference in 2007 and 2008. Curtis had used inside information supplied by co-conspirator John Hartman, an equities dealer at Orion Asset Management. Hartman has served a 15-month jail term, and received a reduced sentence for providing evidence against Curtis.

CORPORATES
ORION ASSET MANAGEMENT (AUST) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, CLIFFORD CHANCE

Macquarie severs ties with Southern Cross

Original article by Dominic White, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 21-Mar-16

Macquarie Group has sold its entire shareholding in regional TV broadcaster Southern Cross Media Group. Nine Entertainment Company recently paid $A1.15 per share for 9.9 per cent of Macquarie’s 26.1 per cent stake in Southern Cross Media. Sources have indicated that Macquarie has since offloaded all of its remaining shares to institutional investors at $A1.08 per share.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, ALLAN GRAY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Macquarie bulks up with Esanda

Original article by Joyce Moullakis, Sarah Thompson, Anthony Macdonald
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 9-Oct-15

Macquarie Group will become one of Australia’s three largest vehicle financiers after paying $A8.2bn for the Esanda Dealer Finance business. The sale of Esanda will boost the ANZ Bank’s common equity tier one capital ratio. Macquarie will partially finance the acquisition via a capital raising, with plans to tap institutional investors for $A400m via a share placement. Macquarie shares traded at $A77.84 on 8 October 2015, prior to a trading halt.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, AWAS AVIATION CAPITAL LIMITED, CROWN CASTLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, APACHE ENERGY LIMITED, THAMES WATER UTILITIES LIMITED, MOTO, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CADENCE CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX CDT, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, HNA GROUP, NOMURA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, PEPPER GROUP LIMITED – ASX PEP

Peter Warne to take ‘big gig’ at Macquarie

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 25-Sep-15

Macquarie Group has appointed Peter Warne as chairman. He will assume his new role on 31 March 2016, replacing Kevin McCann. The Australian Shareholders’ Association is concerned that Warne will not be able to devote enough time to Macquarie, because of his many other commitments. Warne is chairman of ALE Property Group and OzForex Group. He also holds directorships at ASX Limited and the New South Wales Treasury Corporation.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION, ALE PROPERTY GROUP – ASX LEP, OZFOREX GROUP LIMITED – ASX OFX, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, NEW SOUTH WALES TREASURY CORPORATION, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY. OFFICE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, CADENCE CAPITAL LIMITED – ASX CDT, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED

Macquarie poised for record $2b annual profit

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 17 : 15-Sep-15

Australian-listed Macquarie Group has advised that its 2015-16 interim profit will be 40 per cent higher than the $A678m result for the previous corresponding period. This suggests that Macquarie’s profit for the half-year to 30 September 2015 will be around $A949m. Macquarie has indicated that its profit for the second half will be similar to the first half, which means its full-year result could be around $A1.9bn. Meanwhile, the group has made a binding offer to acquire the Esanda dealer finance business from the ANZ Bank.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, ESANDA FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, MACQUARIE ASSET MANAGEMENT, MACQUARIE SECURITIES PTY LTD, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED, CLSA CAPITAL PARTNERS, WHITE FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TRANSGRID, LONDON CITY AIRPORT

Advisers share power spoils

Original article by Will Glasgow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-May-15

The New South Wales Government has released details of the fees that will be paid to advisers on its proposed sale of the state’s electricity network. Law firm Allens is set to gain a $A28m windfall from the deal, while accounting firm Ernst & Young will be paid $A24.5m. Other companies that will advise the Government on the sale include Deutsche Bank, UBS, WorleyParsons, Newgate Communications and Ansarada.

CORPORATES
ALLENS, ERNST AND YOUNG, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WORLEYPARSONS LIMITED – ASX WOR, NEWGATE COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD, ANSARADA PTY LTD, NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY (FRED NILE GROUP), TRANSGRID, AUSGRID PTY LTD, ENDEAVOUR ENERGY LIMITED

Macquarie result wins praise and upgrades

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 12-May-15

Analysts are upbeat about the earnings outlook for Macquarie Group in fiscal 2016, after its net profit for the year to 31 March 2015 rose by 27 per cent to $A1.6bn. Data from Bloomberg shows that the consensus forecast is for a profit of $A1.79bn in fiscal 2016, and Macquarie itself expects a modest rise in earnings. CLSA has lifted its 12-month share price target to $A102, compared with Macquarie’s closing price of $A78.78 on 11 May.

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, BLOOMBERG LP, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MACQUARIE SECURITIES PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Lower test will add fuel to the fire for shareholder class actions

Original article by John Emmering, Michael Legg
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 32 : 13-Mar-15

In most cases, shareholder class actions in Australia are based on alleging causation between losses incurred by shareholders and directors’ behaviour. Until now, Australian courts have required proof of individualised reliance. The Federal Court’s observations in the case against Babcock & Brown directors are likely to stimulate discussion of causality in class actions

CORPORATES
BABCOCK AND BROWN LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DOWNER EDI LIMITED – ASX DOW, ARASOR CORPORATION, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, JONES DAY

Macquarie seals $5.1b aircraft deal

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 & 27 : 5-Mar-15

Australian-listed Macquarie Group will partially finance the acquisition of an aircraft fleet via a $A500m capital raising. The group will pay $US4bn ($A5.1bn) for the fleet of 90 passenger airplanes, which were sold by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Terra Firma. Macquarie’s aircraft leasing business has made a number of acquisitions in recent years, and now boasts a fleet of 220 aircraft

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, TERRA FIRMA CAPITAL PARTNERS LIMITED, CANADA PENSION PLAN INVESTMENT BOARD, MACQUARIE AIRFINANCE LIMITED, SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP INCORPORATED, ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP PLC, MORGAN STANLEY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, AWAS AVIATION CAPITAL LIMITED, ARNHEM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, BOEING COMPANY, AIRBUS SAS, DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, AIRLINE BUSINESS, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, GENERAL ELECTRIC CAPITAL AVIATION SERVICES, AERCAP HOLDINGS NV, BOEING CAPITAL CORPORATION, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AIR FRANCE SA, ETIHAD AIRWAYS, AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INCORPORATED

Good news expected for Macquarie Group

Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 17-Feb-15

Macquarie Group is tipped to post a 2014-15 profit of $A1.46bn, and there has been speculation that the group could again upgrade its earnings forecast. Macquarie upgraded its full-year earnings guidance in January, due to factors such as the lower Australian dollar and a high level of volatility in commodity prices. Macquarie posted a profit of $A1.27bn for the year to 31 March 2014. Its shares have gained 17.5 per cent so far in 2015

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MACQUARIE PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 FINANCIALS INDEX, ARNHEM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, GE CAPITAL CORPORATION, JEFFERIES LLC, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION