Matt Mckenzie

Shares in chocolate retailer Yowie Group dropped 21 per cent today after the company announced sales in the United States so far this quarter have been well down on expectations thanks to growing competition.

Carnegie Clean Energy’s joint venture with contractor Lendlease has won its second contract in a week, with the partnership to design, construct and operate a $7 million solar project in NSW.

Alcoa of Australia manager and Kwinana Industries Council president David Honey has been preselected as the Liberal candidate for a by-election in the seat of Cottesloe.

A tieback of the Scarborough field into the Pluto LNG plant could well be the next major energy development in Western Australia, after Woodside Petroleum announced a deal to increase its stake in the field.

Mark Bennett’s S2 Resources has sold the Polar Bear gold project to Westgold in a $9 million partially scrip deal.

Gold miner Blackham Resources has completed a $36 million entitlement issue with help from underwriters, as the company seeks to cut debt.

Henderson-based contractor Civmec lifted profit to $S10.4 million ($A10 million) for the first half of the financial year, up 59 per cent, on the back of a big surge in revenue.

A $207 million expansion to more than double the capacity of Pilbara Minerals' Pilgangoora project could get under way as early as this year, after a pre-feasibility study released today delivered positive results.

An east coast energy retailer backed by a French multinational will become the fifth player selling to consumers in the local gas market, after receiving approval by the Economic Regulation Authority today.

Belmont-based labour hire provider Go2 People has revealed it is owed about $445,000 by contractor VCS Civil and Mining, which went into receivership last week, while a director involved in both businesses has been forced to step down.

Shares in remote power provider Zenith Energy were up 7 per cent today as the company announced an unaudited before tax profit of up to $11 million for the first half of the financial year.

An international trade body has warned the recent package of tax cuts in the US will lead to a reduction in that country’s foreign investment stock overseas, with Australia potentially vulnerable.

Iron ore revenue for rail operator Aurizon dropped 9 per cent in the first half of the financial year, although the business overall delivered a big increase in profit.

A Perth corporate advisory firm is acting as lead manager to raise $US15 million for an Australian cryptocurrency that will make it easier for banks to verify the sources of payments they receive from the growing digital cash market.

A global upswing driven by the manufacturing and industrial sectors will provide a tailwind for Australia’s economy, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s quarterly statement on monetary policy, but underlying inflation is expected to remain low until at least mid 2020.

Altura Mining directors Allan Buckler and Paul Mantell and AusCann Holdings directors Mal Washer and Harry Karelis have been among a group of major Western Australian investors to have the value of their portfolios hit as markets have fluctuated in recent weeks.

Changes to the accounting treatment of leases to be introduced next year could pose problems for the state government’s financial boffins, bringing numerous contracts onto agency balance sheets, including potentially $1.3 billion worth in the case of power generator Synergy.

Sydney-based energy supplier AGL Energy has secured 7,000 customers in Western Australia since its July 2017 local launch, according to the company’s half-yearly report.

A joint venture between a subsidiary of Carnegie Clean Energy and contractor Lendlease has won $6.8 million of work to install and operate a renewable powered microgrid in the Mid West town of Kalbarri.

Improved margins on live cattle voyages have helped agribusiness Wellard reduce its net loss after tax for the first half of the financial year to $7.5 million, nearly 60 per cent lower than the previous corresponding period.

A new state government advisory body to improve analysis and transparency of major projects, Infrastructure WA, will begin work next year, according to Premier Mark McGowan, who launched a draft plan for its establishment today.

SPECIAL REPORT: An improved outlook among the state’s resources players is contributing to renewed positivity in the trucking sector, with investment in technology upgrades a focus for some logistics businesses.

SPECIAL REPORT: A new road usage charge to be levied on certain heavy vehicles by the City of Kwinana has drawn the ire of Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny, who says it is another example of a local government imposing additional costs and red tape on the trucking industry.

SPECIAL REPORT: A move to secure federal cash for road upgrades ahead of a new outer harbour port development is one possible funding fix for a state government battling budget issues.

A plan to expand the Onslow Marine Support Base has been given the tick of approval by the Environmental Protection Authority, three months after stage one of the project was completed.

The state government has opened up the Pilbara electricity market to greater competition after privately-owned Alinta Energy applied last year to gain access to state-owned Horizon Power’s network.

Bert Giancristofaro will play to the strengths of the Jus Burgers brand after taking ownership of the business last year, with his immediate priority being store refits and fine-tuning the customer experience.

The global lithium supply chain will be worth more than $1 trillion in 10 years' time, if an analysis written for the Association of Mining & Exploration Companies pans out, with Western Australia well placed to grab a share.

Rio Tinto’s decade-long move towards autonomous haulage has hit a big milestone, with 1 billion tonnes of iron ore and waste material now transported by driverless trucks.

The business community and unions may both support reducing the gender pay gap, but their divergent approaches to a solution present a stark choice for policy makers, if submissions to a review of industrial relations laws are any guide.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall, Matt Mckenzie, and Katie McDonald discuss the Quintis collapse, Wheatstone’s environmental conditions, Doric’s Chinese joint venture, wage gap battle, Fringe festival and land developers.

The number of enterprise bargaining agreements active in Western Australia fell to 1,592 at the end of September last year, about 30 per cent down on the mid-2015 peak.