Government

Australia's corporate regulator will have a new commissioner with a special focus on prosecutions in the financial sector as part of a boost to its capabilities and funding.

The S&P 500 climbed closer to a record high, lifted by energy stocks and a solid quarterly report from Johnson & Johnson. 

Gold rose as much as two per cent, silver hit a 10-month high and platinum climbed to its highest in six months, as the US dollar weakened after US data came in below forecasts.

Fortescue calls for Woodside to be stripped of Browse LNG

Rising oil, copper and iron ore prices have helped push the Australian dollar to a fresh 10-month high.

One in four Australian business leaders is concerned about bribery and corruption in their own workplaces, an EY report has found.

Treasurer Mike Nahan will embark on a regional pitch for the sale of Fremantle Ports, today revealing that the package could include a redevelopment of the passenger terminal, and a long-term fund to pay for infrastructure at the future outer harbour.

The Reserve Bank says continuing low inflation could allow for a future rate cut if the jobs market needs a boost.

A report into Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi's travel scandal is in its final stages and will be released publicly, Local Government Minister Tony Simpson says.

Big shipbuilding win for local companies

The Dow Jones industrial average has climbed to a nine-month high in a market buoyed by Hasbro and Disney, as investors braced for a flurry of quarterly earnings reports through the week.

The Australian dollar has surged more than one US cent on the back of an oil price recovery.

Oil prices edged lower on Monday after producers failed to agree on a plan to curb global supply at a meeting in Qatar, while world stock markets rose and the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 18,000 for the first time since July.

Gold has steadied as the US dollar fell against a basket of major currencies, world stock markets edged higher, and oil prices pared earlier losses that had been triggered by the failure by oil producers to agree an output freeze.

The state’s shipbuilding industry has had a big win, with the federal government selecting Austal to build 21 Pacific Patrol Boats at its yard in Henderson in a contract worth at least $500 million.

More Perth auctions as house prices fall

Saudi Arabia has demanded Iran join a global deal on freezing oil output, jeopardising an agreement between OPEC and non-OPEC producers that was supposed to help ease a glut and prop up the price of crude.

The Australian dollar has plunged sharply as crude oil prices tumble

Gold has risen after three days of declines as the US dollar and major stock markets weakened, but bullion was headed for its first weekly drop in three.

Former police minister Rob Johnson has fired a parting shot at Premier Colin Barnett as he resigned as a member of the Liberal Party, saying the state’s debt burden was out of control, among other issues.

Agriculture Minister Dean Nalder has made his first major move since being given the role, announcing the deregulation of the state’s potato industry and a handsome $14 million compensation package for growers.

Wall Street has closed little changed after two days of solid gains as investors digested the latest round of big bank earnings and financial shares kept bouncing back.

LNG giants seek service link

The Australian dollar has surged to a nine-month high after the chances of a May rate cut slimmed further.

Fundraising campaigns run by footwear manufacturer Steel Blue and the Fremantle Dockers on behalf of local charities have both hit the $1 million milestone this month.

A local academic has warned that failure to privatise the operation of Fremantle Ports could have a negative effect on the competitiveness of the Western Australia’s exporting industries.

Ratings agency Moody's has kept the federal government's credit outlook stable at AAA, despite raising concerns thar governments of both stripes had been unable to reduce spending or achieve fiscal consolidation.

The unemployment rate in Western Australia has dropped a whopping 0.5 percentage points in March, to 5.5 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms.

Woodside pushes $3bn Enfield project

The price of gold has fallen from the previous day's three-week peak as the US dollar surged to a two-week high against the euro, and major stock markets rose after surprisingly upbeat trade data allayed concerns over China's economy. 

Wall Street have rallied for a second straight day, led by gains in beaten-down financial shares after JPMorgan's quarterly results.

The Australian dollar has pulled back from recent highs as the greenback finally finds its feet following days of losses.