AAP

On the eve of the state budget, Premier Colin Barnett has foreshadowed program cuts and "revenue measures" as the once-boom state struggles with lower income.

The coalition's plan to cut company tax will boost jobs, opposition leader Tony Abbott says.

The High Court has upheld Labor's controversial Minerals Resource Rent Tax, rejecting a challenge launched by miner Fortescue Metals Group.

The Australian stock market has opened lower, following falls on Wall Street overnight.

The gold price is expected to improve over the long term thanks to strong demand in China and India, the World Gold Council says.

The Australian dollar has held onto its gains after the Reserve Bank of Australia gave no indication there would be a third interest rate cut this year.

US stocks ended lower on Tuesday as more data and comments from Federal Reserve officials pointed to the likely pullback in Fed stimulus in the coming months.

The Australian dollar is higher despite the Reserve Bank of Australia cutting the cash rate to a an all-time low.

An interest rate cut has failed to lift the Australian share market into positive territory.

The world's third largest gold producer AngloGold Ashanti will bring its Tropicana mine into production ahead of schedule despite pushing ahead with an overall plan to cut costs by $US500 million.

Weak international trade figures and job ads data shows Australian economic transition away from a mining investment boom is not going as smoothly as it could.

Labor has reassured people waiting on the national broadband network (NBN) that changes to construction contractors will not affect the rollout.

The Australian stock market has opened flat as investors hold out for official confirmation of a widely tipped interest rate cut.

Engineering company Downer EDI has recorded an 80 per cent increase in net profit but warns the next 12 months will be challenging.

Labor and the coalition are at odds over what an expected interest rate cut means for the economy as the election campaign enters its second day.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher after the release of some encouraging services sector data from the US and the UK.

US stocks have ended mostly lower on fairly quiet trading during which some investors fretted about the possible pullback of the Federal Reserve's aggressive bond-buying program.

The Australian dollar dipped to a three-year low then bounced back following weaker than expected retail spending data.

The Australian share market has posted a slight fall, ending two weeks of gains by the market's largest companies.

John Gay, the face of one-time Tasmanian timber giant Gunns, could spend time in jail after pleading guilty to insider trading.

Airline Virgin Australia expects to book an annual loss of $95 million to $110 million, blaming the difficult economy, competition, restructuring costs and the carbon tax.

Retail spending figures for June were below market expectations but it appears that the big retailers are seeing an improvement in sales.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has written to two of her children, making an offer which she hopes will bring their litigation to an end, a court has heard.

The rate of inflation increased in July but it's still within the Reserve Bank of Australia's two to three per cent target band.

The Australian stock market has started the week slightly lower, ahead of the release of official monthly retail figures.

Labor plans to inject an extra $200 million into the car industry and ensure 100 per cent of the commonwealth car fleet is Australian-made.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher after the release of weaker-than-expected US employment figures.

A tax hike on cigarettes and a levy on bank deposits could be maintained under a federal coalition government.

A jam-packed week of economic data and corporate earnings amounted to only modest movement in US equities, as stocks closed out a hectic week of news only somewhat higher.

The Australian share market has hit its highest point in more than two months as good signs from the United States overshadowed weaker local economic forecasts from the federal government.

A shipping container carrying lead carbonate has buckled at Fremantle Port and cannot be secured for export.