Primary Section
Foxtel reborn as customers ‘cut the cord’
News Corporation’s quarterly financial results show that the number of Foxtel paid subscribers rose by 12% year-on-year to 3.314 million in the three months to December. However, there was significant changes in the make up of Foxtel’s subscriber base, with the total number of customers on its traditional broadcast cable service falling to around the
Macro Morning
Wall Street continued the co-ordinated risk rebound overnight as the Gamestop short squeeze has now almost completely disappeared alongside an aborted attempt to do the same to silver. The USD gained more strength against most of the majors although it had a small pullback later in the session in the wake of the EZ wide
Netflix juggernaut crushes competition
Subscription video-on-demand giant Netflix has advised that it gained more than 8.5 million global subscribers in the December quarter and 37 million during 2020. Netflix finished the 2020 calendar year with 203.7 million customers worldwide. It also reported revenue of $US6.64 billion for the December quarter, compared with $US5.45 billion for the same period in
Time for Aussie test cricket renewal
Via News: Aussie great Mark Waugh further muddied the debate by declaring a return to Smith is the only replacement option for Australia — should Paine lose the faith of selectors. “If he’s not captain, who are the choices? That’s the issue,” Waugh said, according to The Daily Telegraph. “If there was a standout candidate I
Foxtel rises from the dead
As the global coronavirus pandemic rolled into town, Foxtel was facing a precarious future. With sporting events across the globe put into hiatus, Foxtel – which has traditionally been heavily reliant on live sports to drive subscription growth – suffered a surge in cancellation requests. The pain was hardest felt by Foxtel’s Kayo Sports streaming
Weekend Links: 16-17 Jan, 2021
‘The Wave’ 1901, Julian Ashton, Art Gallery of NSW Macro & Markets Investors resigned to Trump’s China ban, with Biden seen changing little – Reuters Global economy can shake off pandemic in 2021, policymakers say – Ninefax ‘This is not a game’: Global virus death toll hits 2 million – AP Revenge of the
Foxtel takes Aussie taxpayers to cleaners
Back in July, Foxtel received $10 million from Australian taxpayers to broadcast “women’s, niche and other under-represented sports”. This subsidy followed the $30 million received by Foxtel from Australian taxpayers in 2017. The decision to give Foxtel another $10 million was also fast-tracked through Cabinet and broke the usual “10 Day Rule” for assessing proposals.
Summer Links: 1 January 2021
‘Swanston St from the Bridge’ 1861, Henry Burn, National Gallery of Victoria Macro & Markets Dollar on borrowed time as U.S. twin deficits balloon – Reuters U.S. slaps tariffs on French and German wines, aircraft parts amid EU dispute – Reuters The key takeaways for global markets in 2020 – Ninefax, El-Erian Cryptocurrency going
MB Fund Podcast 2020 – Is 2021 the year to buy Australian property with Bushy Martin
This week we thought we might finish off the year with another big show on Australia’s favourite investment class, property. To help colour in the conversation we have brought along Bushy Martin who is a keynote speaker, all round property investment wizard and award winning author of his 2018 book, Get Invested. Link here –
Summer Links: 30 December 2020
‘Holiday Resort’ 1946, Jeffrey Smart, Art Gallery of South Australia Macro & Markets A historic oil price collapse, with worries headed into 2021 – Reuters China-Russia ties won’t be broken, declare Xi and Putin in signal to Biden – SCMP How China’s digital currency will thwart US dollar trap and help the world – SCMP
Summer Links: 28 December 2020
Ricketts Point, 1937, Peter Purves Smith, Art Gallery of South Australia Macro & Markets Future shock: how will Covid change the course of business? – Guardian Chinese economy to overtake US ‘by 2028’ due to Covid – BBC Beyond the coronavirus, global shipping must meet the challenge of climate change – SCMP The year
Inner-Melbourne apartments are cruising for a bruising
CoreLogic’s Best of the Best Report paints a dire picture for the inner-city apartment market: Inner-city Melbourne markets are at greater risk through 2021. Strict restrictions on international borders have particularly affected rental demand in the SA4 ‘Melbourne – Inner’ region, which had the highest net overseas migration of any region in Australia in the
MB Fund Podcast: Investment megatrends in the post virus world
This week we look to next year, after one of the most tumultuous global and market environments in living memory through the lens of our popular mega trends series. On the agenda The 7 long term investment trends, post COVID19 What COVID19 has changed How we use these trends in our investments (and how you
Weekend Links: 5-6 December 2020
‘From the Sand Dunes’ John White, 1899, Art Gallery of South Australia Macro & Markets More than 400 lawmakers from 34 countries back ‘Make Amazon Pay’ campaign – Reuters Is a post-COVID currency war coming? – Reuters US intelligence head says China is America’s ‘greatest threat’ in rare public warning – SCMP Container Shipping
Aussie GDP roars back on free money!
Via the ABS: The Australian economy rose 3.3% in seasonally adjusted chain volume measures Through the year GDP fell 3.8% The terms of trade rose 0.7% Household saving ratio decreased to 18.9% from 22.1% Twas’ mostly a reopening private sector: Except when we realise it was all publicly funded. Thank JobKeeper: Government consumption still boomed:
MacroBusiness Links: 1 December, 2020
‘View of Geelong’ 1856, Eugene von Guerard, Geelong Gallery Macro & Markets Just like Trump’s tariffs, China’s trade attack will backfire – Ninefax There’s More Than Wine in Australia-China Trade Tension – Bloomberg, El Erian Americas ‘We’re a Pacific power’: Joe Biden faces pressure to hold hard line of defence against China – SCMP Trump
Weekend Links: 28-29 November 2020
‘Desert Landscape’, 1947, Douglas Roberts, Art Gallery of South Australia Macro & Markets Fed policymakers may give new bond-buying guidance ‘fairly soon’: minutes – Reuters An economic recovery could happen sooner than we think – Ninefax ‘Revenge of the old economy’: Is this the start of the next commodity supercycle? – Ninefax, AEP OPEC
Mirabile dictu: Realty deals collapse as Chinese money flees
There are no end to the pleasures of Australia’s Chinese decoupling. Via SCMP today: A group of Chinese investors has withdrawn its bid to purchase a A$80 million (US$58.5 million) office tower in Sydney after the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) delayed approval of the deal for eight months. Analysts conceded that while the
Macro Afternoon
The retracement meme continues as trading positions pullback from extremely overbought levels post the vaccine news across the region with the USD largely unchanged after gaining strength against most of the majors after last night’s US CPI print. Gold is still under enormous pressure here after its big retracement, hovering slightly below the $1880USD
Foxtel’s subscriptions boom, revenues bust
One of the biggest structural problems facing Foxtel as it vies to survive in Australia’s increasingly crowded subscription video on demand (SVOD) market is self cannibalisation. In order to compete against cheaper streaming rivals like Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Stan, Foxtel has introduced online offerings, such as its Binge drama package and its Kayo Sports
Sunday Supplement: 8 November 2020
‘A Billabong in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia’ 1878, H.J. Johnstone, Art Gallery of South Australia Macro & Markets Bond markets should brace for tighter central bank squeeze – Reuters Record low rates are here to stay regardless who sits in the Oval Office. Will that keep markets pumping in the age of Covid-19?
Walls close in on Foxtel
There is no doubt that Foxtel has made important strides in securing its long-term future. First, Foxtel has significantly lowered its cost base after axing around 270 permanent jobs at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Second, Foxtel has secured vital exclusive content deals, including beating local rival Stan for Warner Bros, WarnerMedia, HBO and
Sunday Supplement 1 November 2020
‘McIntosh’s saw mill at Echuca, floodtime’ 1887 JW Curtis, Art Gallery of NSW Macro & Markets ExxonMobil warns of $30bn writedown of shale assets amid energy price slump – Guardian Charting the Global Economy: Growth Surges in U.S., Euro Area – Bloomberg For Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google business is booming – BBC In