AAP

Perth's infamous unfinished mansion, dubbed the Taj on the Swan, may finally be torn down after the local council made a unanimous decision to seek a demolition licence.

The Australian share market has finished flat as lacklustre trade failed to spark momentum.

Despite a slowdown in Chinese demand for Australian resources, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is confident the best days of the trade relationship are yet to come.

The Australian share market is in the green as strength in the yield trade pushes the financial sector higher.

Fortescue Metals Group has cited the finer points of the Australian Competition and Consumer Act to justify calls by its chairman Andrew Forrest for Australia's biggest iron ore miners to cap production in order to lift prices.

Gold have risen to a two-and-a-half-week high, lifting for the fifth straight session on growing expectations that a US interest rate increase could be pushed to September.

Better economic figures out of the US have failed to deter the Australian dollar, which rallied to a two-month high overnight.

Wall Street stocks have finished lower after positive economic data lifted speculation the US Federal Reserve could move more quickly to raise interest rates.

Oil prices have endured a mixed day of trading as the market weighed disappointing manufacturing data out of top energy consumer China.

A quick-fire century from opener Marcus Harris has put Western Australia back in contention, opening up a 280-run lead over Victoria at stumps on day four of the Sheffield Shield final.

Rio Tinto and Alcoa of Australia have struck an agreement with the state government to terminate a bauxite mining joint venture on the Mitchell Plateau in WA's far north, paving the way for the area to be included in a new national park.

The Australian share market has edged higher, but investors are still waiting for a catalyst to drive it through the 6,000-points mark.

Fortescue Metals Group may have to sell a stake in its iron ore mines or rail infrastructure as it looks to pay down debt after abandoning a $US2.5 billion refinancing.

Outdoor clothing retailer Kathmandu is putting the brakes on its store expansion in Australia after racking up a first half loss.

TPG Telecom insists that its $1.4 billion bid for internet provider iiNet is good for the takeover target's shareholders, despite opposition from some investors.

Doubts have emerged over plans by Qantas and China Eastern to expand their alliance after the competition watchdog expressed concern about it possibly leading to higher airfares.

Woodside Petroleum is axing 300 jobs and freezing pay across the organisation as it deals with a plunge in the oil price.

The Australian market has started the session on a positive note, led by gains in the resources space.

More hints from the US central bank of a late interest rate hike have weighed on the US dollar and given the Australian currency a boost.

US stocks have finished somewhat lower after a quiet day of trade with the Nasdaq lagging the other two indices following last week's surge.

Oil prices have risen as the attractiveness of a weaker dollar offset news of higher crude production by Saudi Arabia.

Gold has firmed for the fourth straight session to its highest in more than two weeks, as the US dollar extends losses and expectations rise that the Federal Reserve will hold off until at least September to raise interest rates.

FOR as long as I can recall, numerous commentators have been forecasting a hard landing in China. And for as long as I can recall they have been wrong. 

The Australian share market got to within five points of the 6,000 points mark on Monday but then fizzled out, with no major corporate or economic news to maintain momentum.

Orica director and former BHP Billiton executive Alberto Calderon has been appointed interim CEO at the explosives maker in the wake of the sudden exit of Ian Smith.

The Australian share market has opened higher as the bourse flirts with breaking the 6,000 point landmark for the first time in seven years.

The Australian dollar is one US cent firmer after a voting member of the US Federal Reserve argued that American interest rates should stay near zero for quite a bit longer.

Gold prices have hit two-week highs and are poised for their biggest weekly jump since mid-January, after the US Federal Reserve's cautious note on interest rates arrested a US dollar rally and sparked broad-based buying of commodities.

The Australian share market has closed higher, edging towards the 6000 point level, not seen since early 2008.

Australia is likely to avoid a recession as the mining boom fades, the Reserve Bank of Australia boss says.

The Australian share market has edged slightly lower as fresh falls in oil prices dragged on the energy and materials sectors.

Oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum has successfully restarted production at its Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in north Western Australia.