Markets drive Macquarie to bumper $1.5bn

Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 21 : 20-Jan-15

Investment banking firm Macquarie Group has again raised its 2014-15 profit forecast, for the second time in half a year, and now expects a result of up to $A1.52bn that would be close to an all-time high. The increase by between 10% and 20% is based on an improved trading environment as well as the decline in the Australian dollar foreign exchange rate. Experts note that Macquarie’s fixed-income, currencies and commodities operations perform better in times of heightened volatility. On 19 January 2015 the stock closed 5.4% higher at $A58.25

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, BELL FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX BFG, MACQUARIE SECURITIES PTY LTD

Ten brass to discuss bid by US media giant

Original article by Dominic White, Jared Lynch, James Chessell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13/18 : 7-Nov-14

Investment banking firm Citi will advise Ten Network on bids by potential takeover suitors. Negotiations will start on 10 November 2014, and the most likely acquirer of the free-to-air TV group appears to be an alliance of pay TV provider Foxtel and US ally Discovery Communications. The speculation on 6 November lifted Ten’s share price by 7% to a close of $A0.23. Fairfax Media had also discussed a deal with Ten’s executives in October, but is now not expected to pursue the opportunity

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, ANCHORAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED

Infrastructure needed ‘to pick up slack’

Original article by Glenda Korporaal, Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 17 : 20-Oct-14

An Australian Institute of Company Directors forum has heard from Kevin McCann, chair of investment banking firm Macquarie Group. He said the national economy was likely to remain subdued, and there was an urgent need for major infrastructure projects by governments to provide a stimulus as capital expenditure in sectors other than energy declines. Such an approach has already been promised by the Federal Government, and will be promoted by it at the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in November 2014

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPANY DIRECTORS, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Deutsche fires rogue forex trader

Original article by Bianca Hartge-Hazelman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 20 : 22-Sep-14

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will look into the actions of a "rogue" foreign exchange trader. Deutsche Bank dismissed Andy Donaldson in June 2014 after he was found to have been overstating foreign exchange trades, resulting in large losses for his employer. There have been similar scandals at Deutsche’s international operations

CORPORATES
DEUTSCHE BANK AG, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, BARCLAYS BANK PLC, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP PLC, UBS AG

Macquarie hits political opposition in US network plan

Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 19 : 1-Sep-14

The Utah Taxpayers Association opposes Macquarie Group’s proposal to complete the construction of an open-access broadband network in the state. Work on the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) project started about 10 years ago, and Macquarie wants to finance completion of the network. The original proposal was for the network to cover 11 cities in Utah

CORPORATES
MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, UTAH TELECOMMUNICATION OPEN INFRASTRUCTURE AGENCY (UTOPIA), UTAH TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION, CENTURYLINK, COMCAST CORPORATION, MACQUARIE CAPITAL PARTNERS LLC, ECONOWEST ASSOCIATES

Canadian bank axes analysts in Newcrest fiasco

Original article by Anthony Klan
The Australian – Page: 21 : 26-Jun-14

Newcrest Mining has agreed to pay a penalty of $A1.2m for selectively briefing analysts in late May 2013. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission told the Federal Court that the company breached its continuous disclosure obligations by not informing the wider market as well of its downgraded gold output figures, but the analysts were not to blame. However, Geoff Breen and Michael Orphanides as well as head of research Peter Main departed Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in mid-2013, soon after it received the inside knowledge from Newcrest. The investment bank has declined to comment

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, ROYAL BANK OF CANADA, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, BANK OF AMERICA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE AG, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT, COLONIAL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED – ASX CNG, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL