AAP

A woman who stole a total of more than $1.2 million from two separate small businesses because she "liked having nice things" has been sentenced to six years and two months in a Western Australian prison.

The death of a prisoner who was crushed between a truck and a wall has resulted in Western Australia's Department of Justice being fined $100,000 plus costs.

A fall in Perth house prices over the next 12 months will be followed by modest growth and an overall 5 per cent improvement by 2021, according to a new housing outlook report.

Andrew Forrest-led Fortescue Metals Group has reported an 8.6 per cent fall in first-quarter iron ore shipments as pollution curbs in China reduced demand for its lower-grade ore.

It was a bloodbath for Australian shares at the open as the market plummeted to a new 12-month low, following a dive on Wall Street overnight amid a cocktail of disappointing economic and trade news.

The Australian share market's weak October trend has continued with lower commodity prices weighing on the indices.

Two women and an 11-year-old boy have been injured as a jetty collapsed while they were fishing on Rottnest Island, with the state government set to launch an investigation into the incident.

If it relies on something coming out of the ground, it's likely to be weighing on the Australian share market, with local gold miners one of the few commodity-based positives for a flat ASX at noon.

US stocks have fallen with worries about the earnings outlook adding to recent selling pressure, though major indexes ended well off the day's lows as investors snapped up beaten-down shares late i

Oil prices plunged about five per cent overnight to two-month lows as a sell-off in global equity markets raised worries about demand growth and after Saudi Arabia said it could supply more crude quickly if needed, easing concerns ahead of US sanctions on Iran.

Gold rose by a percentage point overnight to its highest level in over three months as the dollar weakened and global stock markets tumbled, with rising political and economic uncertainties adding to bullion's appeal.

The Australian share market has closed lower again, with energy and materials stocks dragging the ASX back toward last week's six-month low.

Private equity firm BGH Capital and AustralianSuper have returned with another $4.11 billion bid for Healthscope, five months after the private hospitals operator rejected their takeover attempt.

The Australian share market has edged lower at the open, with energy, financial and healthcare stocks dragging after a choppy overnight session on Wall Street.

US stocks have edged down as early support from a rally in China faded, with lower oil prices and disappointing earnings signals from firms including Halliburton and Hasbro helping pull the market lower.

Oil futures changed little after paring earlier losses, despite Saudi Arabia's pledge to raise crude production to a record high, two weeks before US sanctions potentially choke off Iranian supplies.

Gold prices have slipped, pressured by a rallying dollar and the metal's failure to break above a key technical level.

Clive Palmer has launched legal action against CITIC over environmental rehabilitation funds for the massive Sino Iron project in WA, just days after his estranged Chinese joint venture partner started separate litigation.

The Australian share market has closed lower, giving up most of last week's gains in a single session.

The Australian share market has dropped at the open, with Wall Street proving a poor ballast as uncertainty swirls in the wake of the Wentworth byelection.

The US benchmark S&P 500 stock index has closed a touch lower as strong earnings from Procter & Gamble Co were offset by ongoing concerns about rising interest rates and tensions over trade policy denting economic growth.

Oil prices have risen on signs of surging demand in China, the world's number two oil consumer, although prices were headed for a second weekly decline on swelling US inventories and concern that trade wars were curbing economic activity.

Gold prices have edged up for a third straight week of gains, supported by robust technical momentum and a softer dollar.

The Australian share market closed flat, with banking stocks clawing back from a weak start after heavy overnight losses on Wall Street.

Australian shares have taken their expected plunge at the open, bleeding red across the board following big overnight losses on Wall Street.

Oil prices fell as investors' concerns returned to the impact an escalating trade row between China and the United States will have on oil demand growth and data showing ample supplies.

US stocks have fallen more than one per cent as the European Commission issued a warning regarding Italy's budget and concerns mounted over the possibility of strained relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Gold has risen overnight as renewed weakness in global stock markets spurred investors to seek refuge in bullion, which has also been helped by an improved technical outlook.

Banking and telco stocks have lifted the Australian share market to close slightly higher despite lower commodity prices weighing down the energy and materials sectors.

A livestock export licence has been granted to a Perth subsidiary of Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading, allowing the second shipment to the Middle East following the Emanuel sheep scandal.

Full-time employment in Western Australia has hit a three-year high, as the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed a decline in the state’s jobless rate to 6 per cent in September.

Unions have blasted Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O'Dwyer's decision to intervene in a potentially landmark court case about casual workers' pay and leave entitlements.