Government

Gold was flat after sliding to a fresh 2018 low on Thursday as another rise in US bond yields held the US dollar index near its 2018 peak.

Foreign property proposal

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.

Entrepreneur lunch: Peter Prendiville, Rod Jones, Gordon Martin and John Rothwell have outlined the challenges they see in diversifying WA’s economy.

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.

The Australian dollar has bounced back overnight and is higher against the US dollar which has preserved its recent gains but made little headway.

Wall Street has edged higher as retailer Macy's strong results helped drive gains in retails stocks and more than offset losses in energy shares.

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.

Jobs boost tipped as business outlook lifts

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.

GST changes backed, Morrison reaches out

The Australian dollar is lower after US stocks handed back earlier gains to end the session only slightly higher, and copper prices fell.

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

Gold slipped on Monday as the US dollar strengthened and precious metals prices remained within a tight range as investors awaited key US data.

Fears warship planning could cut out WA

Julie Bishop and Mathias Cormann have backed the Liberal Party's decision not to contest the Perth and Fremantle by-elections, saying it would be a waste of money.

The Australian dollar is slightly higher, after a Wall Street had a mixed session on Friday and most base metals prices were lower.

Crude prices fell in a see-saw session on Friday, retreating after early gains as it looked likely that US allies would push to maintain a deal with Iran, which could keep that country's crude exports on global markets.

Gold prices were flat on Friday, as the US dollar weakened and investors grew a bit less confident about prospects that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates three more times in 2018.

Labor gains on ‘fair’ budget: poll

Western Australians paid federal taxes of $16.5 billion in the year to June 2017 that were spent outside the state, according to WA Treasury data, with the latest numbers suggesting WA would be the biggest winner from federal moves to cut company and income taxes.

A trade war driven by the Trump-administration’s protectionist policies is probably unlikely, former US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner told a Perth audience last night, words that may offer some comfort for those in WA’s export industries.

The McGowan government says it will set up a taskforce to investigate establishing a pilot training academy in Western Australia, after Qantas today launched a formal request for proposals from state governments across the country.

WA Labor MP Anne Aly claims that a letter from the Egyptian embassy regarding her citizenship has “put the matter to rest" following concerns surrounding her eligibility for parliament.

The Australian dollar is higher after the US dollar lost ground on the back of some disappointing US inflation data.

Crude prices ended the session slightly higher on Thursday as investors weighed the potential disruption to oil flows from major exporter Iran in the face of US sanctions.

Gold prices rose on Thursday as the US dollar backed away from 2018 highs after weaker-than-forecast US inflation data and as tensions between the United States and Iran also supported the precious metal.