Trump’s eyes on Alaskan riches

Original article by Jim Carlton
The Australian – Page: 31 : 2-Jun-17

ConocoPhillips and other oil companies have welcomed a move by US President Donald Trump to undertake a review of exploration and production in protected areas of Alaska. The Trump administration has commissioned new geological assessments of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve and part of a wildlife refuge, although it will face opposition from environmentalists. Originally published in "The Wall Street Journal".

CORPORATES
CONOCOPHILLIPS, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE INTERIOR, ALASKA WILDERNESS LEAGUE

Trump pulls out of Paris climate deal

Original article by Cameron Stewart
The Australian – Page: Online : 2-Jun-17

President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, although he is open to negotiating more favourable terms. Trump has stated that the climate accord in its current form is "very unfair" to the US and represents a "massive redistribution" of wealth from the US to other countries. He also said that the climate accord would have resulted in the loss of around 2.7 million US jobs by 2025. The US would have been required to reduce its carbon emissions by 26-28 per cent from 2005 levels by this date.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF STATE

US collision course with China

Original article by John Kehoe, Lisa Murray, Angus Grigg, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 13-Jan-17

US Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson has issued a stern warning to China. He told the US Senate on 12 January 2017 that China should not be allowed to access disputed islands in the South China Sea. Hugh White, a professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, is alarmed by Tillerson’s bellicose statement, which he sees as a sign of his ignorance and irresponsibility. If the US-China relationship deteriorates, Australia will be under pressure to choose between the two countries.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. DEPT OF STATE, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

America: What Now? An Autopsy of the 2016 Election. Today, Wednesday December 7: 6pm – 8pm at Morgans at 401. 401 Collins St.

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Dec-16

As the dust settles on the 2016 United States election, the complex process of preparing to govern a bitterly divided nation begins for President-Elect Trump. And the long, slow process of post-mortem begins for political scientists, who along with pollsters, pundits and experts, were shocked once again to find that Trump had proved them all wrong, defied expectations, and remade American politics in the process. Or at least, that’s the news headlines. But with Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote and a small, fractious Republican Congressional majority, Trump’s victory is not all it seems. When Trump enters the White House in January of 2017 he will do so with an enormous weight of expectation upon his shoulders, an extremely challenging policy environment, and unprecedented unpopularity across the general population, and fair-weather allies in Congress. Full details: http://www.humanities21.com.au/event/america-what-now

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), HUMANITIES 21 INCORPORATED

Spending, tax cuts to buoy firms with US exposure

Original article by Damon Kitney, Andrew White, Eli Greenblat, Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 21 & 26 : 11-Nov-16

Australian-listed companies with a significant presence in the US do not expect the election of Donald Trump as president to have much impact on their business. Brambles CEO Tom Gorman is upbeat about the logistics group’s outlook, noting that its US customers are primarily in sectors that are not affected by political and economic cycles. Orora CEO Nigel Garrard says the packaging group is optimistic about the economic impact of Trump’s policies on corporate tax cuts and infrastructure spending.

CORPORATES
BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, ORORA LIMITED – ASX ORA, TREASURY WINE ESTATES LIMITED – ASX TWE, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, EVANS AND PARTNERS PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, BERINGER WINE ESTATES HOLDINGS INCORPORATED, DIAGEO PLC, NORTH STAR STEEL, PRATT INDUSTRIES (USA) INCORPORATED, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC

You’re fired: result shows the limits of the forecasters

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 11-Nov-16

Most public opinion polls had pointed to Hillary Clinton winning the US presidential election. Principal Global Investors’ Mark Farrington likens polling methods to the trading models used in financial market, noting that they both rely on historical predictions. In the case of Donald Trump’s election victory, and the Brexit vote earlier in 2016, traditional models did not reflect the forces that influenced voting trends. Meanwhile, Wall Street rallied and bond yields rose in response to Trump’s election victory.

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PRINCIPAL GLOBAL INVESTORS, UBS O’CONNOR LLC, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

TPP deal ‘doomed’ as US set to retreat

Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 16 : 10-Nov-16

Australia’s former foreign minister Bob Carr does not expect the Trans-Pacific Partnership to proceed under US President Donald Trump. He adds that Congress is unlikely to ratify the 12-nation trade deal during the final months of Barack Obama’s presidency, while Trump could potentially also abandon some existing international treaties. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is optimistic that the Obama administration will ratify the TPP, although she notes that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is being negotiated in Asia and would provide an alternative to the TPP.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Clinton campaign boss paid by Adani-fight foundation

Original article by Dennis Shanahan
The Australian – Page: 8 : 3-Nov-16

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman John Podesta was paid $US7,000 a month by the Sandler Foundation, starting from February 2016. Documents released by WikiLeaks show that Podesta received the payments for his advice on Adani’s coal project in Queensland. The leaked information validates the Australian Government’s claims that foreign-funded groups were involved in the protest against the Adani project.

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ADANI MINING PTY LTD, GREENPEACE, SANDLER FOUNDATION, WIKILEAKS, GETUP LIMITED, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND

BHP-Rio face US opposition to copper mine expansion

Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 22-Jun-15

The proposed Resolution Copper project in Arizona remains uncertain due to a push to overturn legislation passed by the US Congress for a land-swap deal. Rio Tinto holds a 55 per cent stake in the Resolution Copper joint venture and BHP Billiton holds the remainder. A group of House of Representatives members has introduced legislation to nullify the land-swap, while Apaches object to the project as it is on land adjacent to a sacred site.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RESOLUTION COPPER MINING LLC, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), DEMOCRATIC PARTY (UNITED STATES), UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE INTERIOR