Government

Gold have turned lower, ending a two-day bounce up from the lowest level in nearly six years, on the firm US dollar and comments from a Federal Reserve policy maker who said the US central bank should "soon" be ready to raise interest rates.

Business confidence in Western Australia has improved for the first time in 12 months, according to the latest results of a Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA survey.

After strong gains throughout the week, investors have calmed, with the bourse closing only slightly higher on Friday.

The state is considering shifting control of industrial relations to the Commonwealth, in an effort to make it easier for small businesses to negotiate on issues such as penalty rates.

The Australian share market has opened flat.

Weak iron price to persist for two years

Tech companies Square and Match have surged in their first day of trade, but US stocks ended slightly lower following a profit warning from Dow member UnitedHealth Group.

The Australian dollar has extended its gains against the greenback, which softened after the US central bank stressed rate rises would come gradually.

US oil prices have dipped to finish near $US40 a barrel as worries about oversupply continued to weigh on the commodity.

Gold has risen one per cent, rebounding from near six-year lows as indications from the US Federal Reserve that it may move cautiously into the rate hiking cycle weighed on the US dollar and prompted investors to cover short positions.

The Australian share market has closed 2 per cent higher as the banks and minerals sectors boosted the bourse.

Treasurer Scott Morrison is willing to consider any new applications to buy Australia's largest private landowner after knocking back the foreign acquisition of S Kidman and Co Ltd on national interest grounds.

The Australian share market has opened higher after Wall Street rallied on indications from the Federal Reserve that rates will be raised in December.

WA fires up $3b tech tender

The Australian dollar has been weighed down by a slump in global oil prices.

Wall Street stocks have marched higher, greeting Federal Reserve meeting minutes that suggest a likely interest rate increase in December based on greater confidence in the economy.

Gold prices have inched higher after tapping a nearly six-year low as the market reacted to the minutes of a recent US Federal Reserve meeting that gave mixed signals about a possible rate rise in December.

Global oil prices have moved modestly higher as traders weighed a small gain in US inventories and a Federal Reserve report that supported expectations of a December interest rate rise.

The state government has opened expressions of interest to amalgamate the state's data storage needs in the hope it will drastically reduce capital costs, Finance Minister Bill Marmion will announce today.

Labor senator Sam Dastyari has accused oil and gas multinational Chevron of being the "biggest tax dodger" in Australia.

The Australian share market has closed higher despite a poor start as investors bought into the major banks.

Wages growth is grinding along at its slowest pace in nearly two decades but a rebound in employment is tipped to help offset this next year.

Older Western Australians enjoy better health than their counterparts in the rest of the country and have some of the highest income and wealth in the nation, but the gap between rich and poor WA residents who are elderly is of considerable concern, according to a new report.

The Australian share market has opened lower after a bomb threat in Germany prompted a reversal of fortunes on Wall Street and rattled investors.

Chevron claimed Gorgon would pay for tax cuts

Retail giants Walmart and Home Depot jumped on solid earnings but the broader market finished little changed after a choppy session.

The Australian dollar is firmly back above 71 US cents after it got a boost from some stronger US inflation figures.

Gold prices have fallen more than one per cent to the lowest price in nearly six years, pressured by expectations that the United States will raise interest rates in December, and as the US dollar rose and stocks rebounded from losses suffered after Friday's attacks in Paris.

World oil prices dropped on Tuesday after Monday's one-off gain as supply forces continued to dominate the market.

A parliamentary committee report on fracking in Western Australia has found that there is misinformation in the public debate on the issue and made 12 recommendations to the state government for regulating the industry.

The share market has closed more than 2 per cent higher after Australia's biggest bank and the country's central bank gave upbeat assessments on the national economy.

Henderson-based engineering firm Civmec has moved to gain a foothold in the east coast defence shipbuilding industry by striking an agreement to purchase the projects division of private company Forgacs Engineering.