Hockey seeks foreign funds for assets

Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 15 : 6-Oct-14

Staff at US investment banks Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Chase & Company will on 6 and 7 October 2014 hear from Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey. He is keen to attract major investors from the US for planned privatisation moves by state governments. The Federal Government is encouraging them to sell assets so that the funds can be reallocated to new infrastructure. Hockey will also meet with News Corporation executive chair Rupert Murdoch and Federal Reserve Bank of New York president William Dudley

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION, MERRILL LYNCH AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, CITIGROUP INCORPORATED, MORGAN STANLEY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, JP MORGAN CHASE AND COMPANY, POWERLINK PTY LTD, ENERGEX LIMITED, ERGON ENERGY CORPORATION LIMITED, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, HASTINGS FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, CHINA MERCHANTS GROUP, TAWREED INVESTMENTS LIMITED, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK

Investors return to golden safe haven

Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 3-Oct-14

The Perth Mint and the US Mint have reported a strong rise in demand for gold coins in September 2014. This coincided with a 6.1 per cent fall in the gold price during the month. The Perth Mint’s gold bars are also in demand, with sales rising by 37 per cent in September. The mint’s Bron Suchecki notes that demand from China in particular has improved in the wake of the fall in the gold price

CORPORATES
PERTH MINT, UNITED STATES MINT, GUARDIAN VAULTS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

US, Britain at fore as foreign investment rises 11.3pc

Original article by Rowan Callick
The Australian – Page: 18 : 2-Oct-14

New data from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade show that during 2013 the value of overseas investments grew 11.3% to $A2.5trn. Of this figure, $A630bn was accounted for by direct investments, and the largest sources were the US with $A35bn, Singapore with $A14bn, the UK with $A12bn and Japan with $A10bn. However, China expanded its share by 43% to reach $A5bn. Meanwhile Australian investment overseas was worth $A1.6trn. It fell 4.1% in the year, while foreign direct investment in Australia was also down 5.3%

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Asian developers say ‘what’s the drama’

Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 50 : 2-Oct-14

Chinese property developers have rejected claims that Asian investors are dominating the Australian residential property market. Country Garden Australia CEO Johnson Zhang said that local developers are competing for residential development sites, so claims that foreign investors are inflating prices are false. He said that the second-hand market offers enough housing for local buyers

CORPORATES
COUNTRY GARDEN HOLDINGS COMPANY LIMITED, SHANGHAI GREENLAND GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, MERITON APARTMENTS PTY LTD, GUANGZHOU R AND F PROPERTIES COMPANY LIMITED, FRAGRANCE GROUP LIMITED, ASPIAL CORPORATION LIMITED, UEM SUNRISE BERHAD, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN

O’Dwyer seeks harsher penalties

Original article by Nick Lenaghan, Joanna Heath
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Oct-14

Harsher penalties have been proposed for foreign real estate investors who do not comply with regulations. Kelly O’Dwyer, head of the Australian parliamentary inquiry into foreign investment into real estate, said that few breaches were detected as foreign investors had to self-report to the Foreign Investment Review Board. Analysis by First National Real Estate found that prices had increased in some suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne that were popular with Asian investors

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, FIRST NATIONAL REAL ESTATE GROUP, RP DATA LIMITED, CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PROPERTY MONITORS PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

KKR tipped to win Treasury Wine

Original article by Simon Evans, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 11 : 29-Sep-14

Competing, revised takeover offers were lodged on 26 September 2014 for Australian-listed Treasury Wine Estates (TWE). It is believed that the directors will now recommend acceptance of the offer received from the consortium of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and Rhone Capital, rather than that of rival US-based private equity firm TPG Capital. The KKR bid is worth around $A5.20 a share. TWE’s earnings are being boosted by the recent decline in the Australian dollar

CORPORATES
TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, KKR AND COMPANY LP, KOHLBERG KRAVIS ROBERTS AND COMPANY, RHONE CAPITAL LLC, TPG CAPITAL LP, PENFOLDS WINES PTY LTD, WOLF BLASS WINES PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Beijing sends 7.5pc of investment our way

Original article by Rowan Callick
The Australian – Page: 20 : 17-Sep-14

Australia received about 7.5 per cent of China’s total outbound investment in the first half of 2014. This was worth about $A2.6 billion. PricewaterhouseCoopers said that two mining deals accounted for 88 per cent of the investment. China’s total outward investment rose by 40 per cent to $A35 billion. The investment focus has moved to real estate, hi-tech and telcos, which have risen from one per cent to 36 per cent of total overseas investment

CORPORATES
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD

Foxtel-Ten alliance would face scrutiny

Original article by Madeleine Heffernan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 16-Sep-14

It was claimed in the media that Foxtel contemplated a bid for the Ten Network in conjunction with Providence Equity Partners. It is said that the pay-TV group might form a marketing or content alliance with Providence if the US private equity group makes an offer for Ten. Regulators are likely to pay close heed to any alliance between Foxtel and Providence. Foxtel is prohibited by law from owning more than 15 per cent of the commercial TV broadcaster

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, PROVIDENCE EQUITY PARTNERS INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, CONSOLIDATED MEDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Hancock allows GVK more time

Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 16-Sep-14

Hancock Prospecting has given Indian company GVK more time to make the final payment for coal projects in the Galilee Basin in Queensland. GVK bought the Kevin’s Corner and Alpha projects for $US1.26 billion in September 2011. It was due to make the last payment of $US560 million ($A622 million) on 16 September 2014. The extension is open-ended at present. Coal prices have fallen significantly since GVK bought the projects

CORPORATES
HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, GVK POWER AND INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED, QUEENSLAND. TREASURY, WARATAH COAL PTY LTD, AURIZON HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX AZJ, MARKET FORCES PTY LTD

Higher yields attract capital

Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 37 : 16-Sep-14

Australia has attracted more than its share of global investment in commercial real estate since 2005. CBRE reported that Australia has attracted five per cent of investment, while accounting for only two per cent of the global economy. Stephen McNabb, of CBRE, said that Australia’s stable economic conditions led to higher interest rates and yields. He expects the trend to continue for 12-18 months

CORPORATES
CBRE PTY LTD, GIC REAL ESTATE PTE LTD