Oil is little changed, after prices ease early in the session, but are supported by a record drawdown of US crude stockpiles at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub.
Gold is flat, trading in a narrow range, first dipping as the US dollar rose and then rising as the US dollar moved lower, but bullion's gains were limited by higher US Treasury yields.
Western Australia's unemployment rate has fallen by a surprising 0.9 per cent in the month of December, while job numbers were up for a record-equalling 15th consecutive month nationwide, with economists giving positive assessments of the labour market.
Oil prices have closed higher ahead of the release of US petroleum data that was expected to show a ninth straight weekly drawdown in crude inventories.
Oil prices have dropped off three-year highs as traders booked profits but healthy demand underpinned prices near $USUS70 per barrel, a level not seen since the market slump in 2014.
The Australian dollar is starting the day just as it left off on Tuesday, amid a slight lift in the US dollar, a fall in commodity prices and little data to influence it.
Gold has slipped from the previous day's four-month high, reflecting losses across the commodities complex as the US dollar claws back some losses the day after hitting a three-year low against a basket of currencies.
The state government will determine the extent of a cap on crowd attendance at Optus Stadium for a potential Big Bash League semi-final after this weekend’s community day, which will help it determine the capacity of public transport to move big crowds to and from the 60,000-seat stadium.
The political fallout from China’s increasing assertiveness in the region, and the Communist government’s role in business, will pose threats and challenges for WA.
Oil has hovered near a three-year high above $US70 a barrel on signs that production cuts by OPEC and Russia are tightening supplies, although analysts warned of a "red flag" due to surging US production.
Gold prices have hit a four-month peak as the US dollar index slumped to its lowest in three years but some analysts say the greenback's slide could be short-lived as it hasn't been driven by fundamentals.
Oil prices have risen for a sixth day after Russia's oil minister said that global crude supplies were "not balanced yet," alleviating market concerns about a wind-down of the OPEC-led deal to reduce production.
Gold has hit a four-month high heading to a fifth straight weekly gain as the US dollar fell against the euro on an agreement for a political coalition in Germany.
To a large degree, Labor’s big budget repair plans have stalled, while newcomers on both sides of the aisle find their way around their house on the hill.
Oil prices have risen about one per cent to three-year highs, pushing the global Brent benchmark past $USUS70 a barrel, on further signs of tightening supply in the United States and expectations that OPEC's output cuts would underpin the market.
Gold prices have approached a four-month high set on the previous day after minutes of a European Central Bank meeting showed a more aggressive tone and boosted the euro against the US dollar.
The education, arts, accommodation and agriculture sectors were the state’s biggest job creators in the five years to November 2017, according to data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Retail sales rose 1.2 per cent nationally to $26.4 billion in November, in seasonally adjusted terms, beating market expectations of an increase of 0.4 per cent, while Western Australian retail spending was up 1.4 per cent for the month.
Crude oil prices have jumped, settling near three-year highs after US government data show a drop in crude inventories and production, even as fuel inventories rose.
Gold has risen, hitting its highest in nearly four months as the US dollar swoons after a report that Chinese officials had recommended slowing or halting purchases of US Treasury securities.
Treasurer Ben Wyatt has warned businesses using labour hire companies to confirm they have met their payroll tax obligations, after a number of local operators fell victim to a scam.
The Australian share market looks set to follow its international peers and open in the green, while the local dollar has fallen nearly a third of a cent against the US dollar.
