MARKET SURVEYS – AUSTRALIA

Executives retain appetite for deals

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Original article by Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 18-Apr-16

A new report by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills and the research division of the Financial Times shows that takeovers remain on the agenda for many companies. The survey of senior executives found that 75 per cent of respondents who are based in Australia expect to pursue mergers and acquisitions in the next three years, although only 33 per cent expect to make acquisitions that will boost group revenue by at least five per cent.

CORPORATES
HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS PTY LTD, FINANCIAL TIMES GROUP, DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, ASCIANO LIMITED – ASX AIO, CBH LIMITED, INTRALINKS INCORPORATED

Australians worry about cross-border tax dodges

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Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-Apr-16

A survey commissioned by Australian accounting firm BDO suggests that tax avoidance by international companies is considered to be a serious problem. BDO’s tax chief, Mark Molesworth, says 20 per cent of survey respondents regarded profit shifting by multinationals as the country’s biggest tax problem, followed by the GST and state taxes.

CORPORATES
BDO CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS AND ADVISERS, APPLE INCORPORATED, CHEVRON CORPORATION, GLAXOSMITHKLINE PLC

Netflix halo effect dulls Foxtel lustre

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Original article by Dominic White
The Age – Page: 23 : 28-Mar-16

A survey by Canstar Blue shows that Netflix has the highest rating in terms of overall customer satisfaction among Australian users of subscription-based TV services. Netflix received five out of five stars, while Foxtel received just three stars. It is estimated that Netflix has gained more than one million customers since launching in Australia in March 2015. A key challenge for Foxtel is the fact that even its entry-level package costs more than a Netflix subscription.

CORPORATES
NETFLIX INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CANSTAR BLUE PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, CBS CORPORATION, SHOWTIME, NBC UNIVERSAL INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Investor sentiment hits a record low

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 3-Feb-16

A survey by Investment Trends has found that the average investor expects the Australian sharemarket to gain just 1.2 per cent in 2016. However, Recep Peker of Investment Trends notes that 33 per cent of investors still intend to invest in equities. The survey also shows that 70 per cent of respondents have identified the outlook for the Chinese economy as their biggest concern, while the potential for another global financial crisis or market crash was cited by 54 per cent.

CORPORATES
INVESTMENT TRENDS PTY LTD, HLB MANN JUDD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, HSBC HOLDINGS PLC, SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX, CSI 300 INDEX

Hopes high for a better year in media

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 16 : 14-Dec-15

Data from ZenithOptimedia shows that advertising expenditure across all media is expected to reach a record $A13.4bn in Australia during calendar 2016. Meanwhile, a survey of the CEOs of 23 media companies has identified key issues for the industry in 2016. They include cross-media ownership reform, government measures to stimulate economic growth following the end of the resources boom, and the need for Australia to become more innovative.

CORPORATES
ZENITH OPTIMEDIA, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NOVA ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, IPROPERTY GROUP LIMITED – ASX IPP

Year of the $3m CEO pay

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Original article by Edmund Tadros, Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 10-Dec-15

The annual executive salary survey of "The Australian Financial Review" shows that former Amcor CEO Ken MacKenzie was paid $A20.92m in 2015, making him the best-paid head of a listed company in the nation. Overall, Australia’s 300 highest-paid CEOs have received a combined pay increase of five per cent in 2015, and the average annual salary of the top CEOs has exceeded $A3m for the first time. Some 31 of the highest-paid CEOs have stepped down in 2015, which significantly bolstered their remuneration for the year.

CORPORATES
AMCOR LIMITED – ASX AMC, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CIMIC GROUP LIMITED – ASX CIM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, EGAN ASSOCIATES MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, JAMES HARDIE INDUSTRIES PLC – ASX JHX, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, IMPEDIMED LIMITED – ASX IPD, 1-PAGE LIMITED – ASX 1PG, BLACKMORES LIMITED – ASX BKL, VITA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VTG, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSNET SERVICES LIMITED – ASX AST, ANSELL LIMITED – ASX ANN, ALS LIMITED – ASX ALQ, DOWNER EDI LIMITED – ASX DOW

Listed companies too afraid to provide guidance, study says

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 11 : 8-Dec-15

McGrathNicol has released a report which shows that just 49 per cent of the 104 Australian-listed companies it surveyed have released earnings guidance in 2015, compared with 57 per cent in 2014. The survey also found that the number of companies that met or exceeded their earnings guidance fell from 69 per cent in 2014 to 64 per cent. Factors such as concern about class actions and challenging market conditions in some sectors have contributed to companies’ reluctance to release earnings guidance.

CORPORATES
McGRATH NICOL AND PARTNERS SERVICES PTY LTD, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, BROADSPECTRUM LIMITED – ASX BRS, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, PACIFIC BRANDS LIMITED – ASX PBG

Is climate change man’s fault? That depends on your politics

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Original article by Peter Hannam
The Age – Page: 3 : 4-Nov-15

The CSIRO has released the results of a survey which shows that almost 80 per cent of respondents agree that climate change is an issue and human activity is responsible for 62 per cent of the change in the climate. However, the survey also shows that more than 75 per cent of Australian Greens supporters and 59 per cent of Australian Labor Party voters believe that human activity is primarily responsible for climate change. In contrast, 52 per cent of Liberal Party voters and 42 per cent of National Party voters believe that climate change is a natural phenomenon.

CORPORATES
CSIRO, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, UNITED NATIONS

Netflix makes us watch more, says study

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 19-Oct-15

A survey by Edison Research has found that traditional broadcast TV still accounts for 85 per cent of the four hours of video content that Australians aged 14+ watch on average each day. The "Share of Eye" report shows that subscription video on-demand services account for four per cent of viewing time, while free video-on-demand services account for 11 per cent. The research was commissioned by Seven West Media.

CORPORATES
EDISON RESEARCH, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, YAHOO!7 COMMUNICATIONS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Don’t trust the jobs data, says ex-chief statistician

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Oct-15

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) veteran Bill McLennan has questioned the validity of the agency’s current methodology for compiling the monthly labour market survey. The ABS changed its methodology in 2014, but McLennan says the labour market data has little value because the old and new systems should have operated in tandem for a while to confirm the accuracy of the new system. The ABS’s David Kalisch is confident that there are no problems with the jobs data produced by the agency.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET