INVESTMENTS

RBNZ could end big four’s NZ super profits

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Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 1-Mar-19

New Zealand has traditionally been a cash cow for Australia’s major banks, but experts warn that profit growth could be dampened by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s proposal to increase their capital requirements. Westpac has warned that any move to impose higher capital buffers could push up interest rates on loans and result in a downturn in deposit rates. The RBNZ has downplayed concerns that it proposal may prompt Australian banks to exit the NZ market.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NEW ZEALAND INITIATIVE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Big four may mull NZ exit due to capital call

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Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 28-Feb-19

Brian Johnson of CLSA and Jonathan Mott of UBS have warned that Australia’s four major banks could seek to divest their New Zealand subsidiaries if the nation’s central bank presses ahead with plans to increase their capital requirements. However, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has downplayed such suggestions, arguing that the nation’s banks are among the most profitable in the world. Mott does not expect the RBNZ to back down on its proposal.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Global dividends on the rise

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 8-Feb-19

Data from Plato Investment Management shows that dividends increased across the majority of developed markets in 2018, with a total payout to shareholders of $1.8trn. Globally, companies in the information technology sector increased their dividends by 33 per cent in the December quarter, followed by consumer staples (up 17.9 per cent). The global materials sector is the only one that did not record growth in dividend payments. In contrast, Australia’s materials sector recorded year-on-year dividend growth of 26 per cent.

CORPORATES
PLATO INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 300 INDEX, BROADCOM CORPORATION, VISA INTERNATIONAL

FIRB gets tougher on China firms

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Original article by Angus Grigg
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Jan-19

The Foreign Investment Review Board is now said to be subjecting most takeover bids by Chinese companies to scrutiny to ensure that they are in the national interest. Regulation of such takeovers was relaxed under the Australia-China free-trade agreement, with deals that are below a certain threshold being exempt from FIRB approval. However, sources have indicated that the policy shift has been prompted by the introduction of China’s National Intelligence Law, which has increased the central government’s influence over private companies.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE, HEALIUS LIMITED – ASX HLS, JANGHO GROUP, AUSGRID PTY LTD, STATE GRID CORPORATION OF CHINA, APA GROUP – ASX APA, CHEUNG KONG INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, FEDERATION OF GERMAN INDUSTRIES

Banks plan exit from uninvestible Britain

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Original article by Sarah Turner, Hans van Leeuwen, Lisa Murray
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 16-Jan-19

The Commonwealth Bank has confirmed that it will establish a subsidiary in Amsterdam in response to continuing uncertainty surrounding Britain’s departure from the European Union. Other Australian banks with a presence in the UK are also looking to set up subsidiaries in other European countries to ensure that they can keep operating in the region. Mark Tinkler of AXA Investment Managers says the UK is largely "uninvestible" until the Brexit uncertainty is resolved. The British parliament will shortly vote on the Brexit deal of Prime Minister Theresa May.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS PTY LTD, GREAT BRITAIN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, GRANT SAMUEL FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, GERMANY. FEDERAL FINANCIAL SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY (BAFIN), BANK OF ENGLAND. PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

China’s $2b swoop on health giant

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Jan-19

Shares in pathology, imaging and medical centres operator Healius closed 7.8 per cent higher at $2.63 on 3 January, in response to a takeover bid from Jangho Group. The Chinese company already has a 15.93 per cent stake in Healius and is offering $3.25 per share. Healius, which changed its name from Primary Health Care in late 2018, has advised shareholders to take no action regarding the unsolicited offer at present. It has stressed that Jangho’s approach may not necessarily result in a deal.

CORPORATES
HEALIUS LIMITED – ASX HLS, JANGHO GROUP, VISION EYE INSTITUTE LIMITED, MONASH IVF GROUP LIMITED – ASX MVF, HEALTHSCOPE LIMITED – ASX HSO, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, CHEUNG KONG INFRASTRUCTURE HOLDINGS LIMITED, APA GROUP – ASX APA, HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED – ASX API, SIGMA HEALTHCARE LIMITED – ASX SIG, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, KING AND WOOD MALLESONS, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Chinese look to exit unit projects

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Original article by Lisa Allen, Ben Wilmot
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 4-Jan-19

Many Chinese property developers are seeking to divest residential development sites on Australia’s east coast due to factors such as difficulty in securing financing and a decline in demand for apartments. Matrix founder Andrew Antonas says many sites that have scope for 300 to 400 apartments and are located within 15-20km of the Sydney CBD have been put on the market. However, he notes that smaller sites with a capacity of up to 200 apartments and the same distance from the CBD are being retained by developers. Mark Wizel of CBRE expects more Chinese developers to shift their focus to investing in local shopping centres.

CORPORATES
MATRIX PROPERTY GROUP PTY LTD, CBRE PTY LTD, SHIMAO PROPERTY HOLDINGS LIMITED, DALIAN WANDA GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, HNA GROUP, HPG, HAILIANG, YUHU GROUP (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, CHARTER HALL GROUP – ASX CHC

BHP left holding Chilean mine after deal collapses

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 14-Dec-18

Private equity firm EMR Capital will not proceed with a deal to buy BHP Group’s Cerro Colorado copper mine in Chile. EMR has advised that the $US320m ($443m) transaction has been abandoned due to problems in meeting its deadline to secure financing. The deal had been announced in June; EMR recently acquired a majority stake in a copper mine in Zambia.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, EMR CAPITAL PTY LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, PT ADARO ENERGY TBK

Stop demonising us, says Adani chief

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 4-Dec-18

Adani Mining CEO Lucas Dow has called for the "demonisation" of its controversial Carmichael coal mining project in Queensland to end. Adani announced in the week ending 30 November that the project will finally go ahead, albeit on a much reduced scale, and that it will be self-funded. Dow says Adani accepts that some people are against the Carmichael project, but the debate about it proceeding or not should be based around facts, not "myths, half-truths and deceptions". He says Adani is sick of being used as a "political football".

CORPORATES
ADANI MINING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL LIMITED, GETUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Coal boom looms after Adani start

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Original article by Michael McKenna, Jared Owens, Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 30-Nov-18

India-based Adani will commence construction work on the Carmichael thermal coal project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin before the end of 2018. The mine and associated rail infrastructure is slated to cost less than $2bn, compared with initial expectations of $16.5bn. The scale of the project has been pared back from 60 million tonnes per annum to just 10 million in its first year, although this will gradually increase to 27.5 million tonnes. Queensland Resources Council CEO Ian Macfarlane says that up to five other coal projects in the basin could now proceed.

CORPORATES
ADANI MINING PTY LTD, QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL LIMITED, MACMINES AUSTASIA PTY LTD, QUEENSLAND. OFFICE OF THE CO-ORDINATOR GENERAL, GVK INDUSTRIES LIMITED, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, SEW-EURODRIVE PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED