AAP

Woodside Petroleum has further fleshed out its plans for the Scarborough and Browse LNG developments, as it reported a 6.7 per cent lift in half yearly profit.

Australian shares have started lower, despite overnight gains on Wall Street, weighed down by declines in resources and a number of blue-chips trading ex-dividend.

Wall Street's three major indexes have risen with the S&P 500 posting its strongest gain in three weeks as a string of healthy earnings boosted investor optimism and a rebound in the Turkish lira eased fears of a broader financial contagion.

Oil prices have edged lower, weighed down by a strengthening US dollar as investors remained concerned about the financial crisis in Turkey.

Opposition leader Mike Nahan insists he'll lead the Liberals to the next state election and says he has the overwhelming support of his colleagues, rejecting reports confidence in him is wavering.

Australian shares have risen, with banks leading near across-the-board gains and an easing in investor concerns over the tension between the US and Turkey.

Oil prices have fallen after data suggested inventories at the US crude delivery hub rose in the latest week, compounding worries that troubled emerging markets and trade tensions will dent the outlook for fuel demand.

US stocks have dropped as global jitters from Turkey's plummeting currency spread to Wall Street, with the S&P 500 and the Dow falling for the fourth session in a row.

Australian shares have continued to slide in lines with declines on Wall Street and Asian markets as trade worries and the Turkish lira's plunge dominate markets, while the Aussie dollar is again under pressure and under 73 US cents.

The board of APA Group has accepted a $12.98 billion takeover offer from a consortium led by Hong Kong's CK Infrastructure (CKI), in a deal that will see major gas pipelines in WA sold to a new owner.

Australian shares have opened lower, dragged down by weakness in the financials and consumer stocks, in line with the weak finish on Wall Street on Friday.

Crude oil prices rose more than one per cent on Friday as US sanctions against Iran looked set to tighten supply, but futures contracts posted a weekly decline as investors worried that global trade disputes could slow economic growth and hurt demand for energy.

US stocks slid on Friday as a deepening economic crisis in Turkey dragged on bank shares and triggered a move out of riskier assets.

Australian shares have suffered a late slide with energy and materials stocks falling, while the Aussie dollar has hit its lowest level since January, 2017, as worries about eurozone bank stability trigger a risk-off flight to the greenback.

Rio Tinto is exploring a public listing of its Iron Ore Company of Canada business, banking and industry sources say, as it focuses on boosting revenue from its flagship Australian assets.

Crude oil prices are slightly lower, extending the previous session's losses as the escalating China-US trade dispute casts doubt over the outlook for oil demand.

The Dow and the S&P 500 were little changed at the open while the Nasdaq was firmly higher, propped up by the high-flying technology trio of Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.

Up to 13,000 public sector workers employed on casual or fixed-term contracts in Western Australia will be considered for secure permanent roles this year, Premier Mark McGowan says.

Australian shares have made solid gains on Thursday and closed just shy of 6,300 points, with financial and consumer stocks driving gains after positive results for Suncorp and Crown and outweighing a drop in the energy sector.

Crown Perth posted a slight increase in normalised earnings for the 2018 financial year, helped by added revenue from Crown Towers, while its parent company reported a full-year profit of $558.9 million.

Sydney-based energy supplier AGL Energy has continued its slow growth in to the WA market, with its annual results revealing it had secured 21,000 gas customers locally by the end of June.

Australian share were slightly higher at the open of trade on Thursday despite a fall on Wall Street overnight.

US stocks were flat on Wednesday after China retaliated to the Trump administration's latest tariffs, escalating trade tensions and muting strong corporate earnings.

Oil prices slid about three per cent on Wednesday as a trade dispute between the United States and China escalated further and after Chinese import data showed a slowdown in energy demand.

Police in Western Australia have revealed the elaborate lengths thieves went to in a bid to steal gold from Northern Star Resources' Kanowna Belle mine near Kalgoorlie.

The Australian share market has lifted on Wednesday courtesy of strong investor responses to profit reports from Commonwealth Bank, AMP and Tabcorp as well as a lift in mining stocks.

Bankwest has posted a $681 million net profit for the 2018 financial year on the back of increased lending and a reduction in bad loans relative to 2017.

Australian shares are higher in early trade with mining and energy stocks lifting and gains for Commonwealth Bank, AMP and Tabcorp as they post results.

The S&P 500 inched nearer to a record high, lifted by Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft, and a strong second-quarter earnings season that fuelled optimism about the US economy's strength.

Australian shares have retreated on Tuesday as falling metals prices and a slump in Amcor after its giant US acquisition put pressure on the materials sector.

The Reserve Bank has left the cash rate unchanged at 1.5 per cent for the 24th month in a row, with RBA governor Philip Lowe adding the drought affecting large parts of the country to his list of concerns.

Australian shares have opened lower, dragged down by the mining sector and despite a slight rise on Wall Street overnight as investors applauded a strong US earnings season.