US crude hit its highest level since 2014 on Monday amid rising concerns that Venezuela's oil output could fall further following the country's presidential election and potential sanctions on the OPEC-member nation.
Gold prices rebounded on Friday, as the US dollar eased after Italian political tension sparked a sell-off in the country's bond markets and investors sought a safe haven in bullion.
Australian businesses can be confident that strong personal relationships with their partners in China can help overcome any short-term problems between the governments of the two countries, according to two local business executives with close ties to the Asian powerhouse.
The state government has announced a partnership with Qantas that will provide discounted airfares for flights to Broome in an effort to boost regional tourism.
Oil prices climbed above $US80 a barrel on Thursday for the first time since November 2014, before retreating on a stronger dollar and climbing US output to end unchanged.
Entrepreneur lunch: Navitas managing director Rod Jones recently found a simple way to end in-house confusion about his phased handover to successor David Buckingham.
Entrepreneur lunch: Coogee Chemicals executive director Gordon Martin struck a chord at this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year lunch when he said all businesses needed to re-engineer their cost structure every few years.
Despite adding 8,300 jobs in April, Western Australia has retained the highest unemployment rate in the country, according to latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The federal government has endorsed changes to the livestock export industry designed to improve animal welfare but the WA government says it may still try to ban live sheep exports to the Middle East during the northern hemisphere summer.
Oil prices have gained ground, shaking off the effects of a strengthening dollar, after an inventory report showed US crude and petrol stocks fell more than expected.
The $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund has finalised its second deal, providing nearly $30 million to a barramundi farm in the Northern Territory, two weeks after chair Sharon Warburton stepped down.
The Australian dollar is lower after US stocks fell almost one per cent, amid worries about US-China trade relations and the release of disappointing US retail spending figures.
Oil prices settled a shade firmer after retreating from multi-year highs hit early in the day on Tuesday, supported by concerns that US sanctions on Iran are likely to restrict crude exports from one of the biggest producers in the Middle East.
Gold slid more than one per cent on Tuesday, falling for a third day to hit its lowest this year as a rise in US borrowing costs pushed up the US dollar and overshadowed the impact of strife in Gaza.
Oil prices rose on Monday as OPEC reported that the global oil glut has been virtually eliminated, while US crude's discount to global benchmark Brent widened to more than $7, its deepest in five m
