Mining

Global oil prices rebounded as more leading petroleum producers announced they would curtail investment because of tumbling crude prices.

Gold prices have posted mild gains as news of a ceasefire in Ukraine tempered support from a weaker US dollar.

Energy giant BP has slashed the workforce at its Kwinana oil refinery by 20 per cent.

Oil and gas producer Santos faces a $1.6 billion hit to its books after the dramatic slide in global oil prices.

A consortium which includes Perth-based Programmed Maintenance Services has been appointed the preferred bidder for a public private partnership for four new schools in New Zealand.

Mining giant Rio Tinto will spend $US2 billion ($A2.6 billion) buying back its own shares and has increased its dividend despite reporting a result marked by falling earnings.

World oil prices have fallen sharply, with New York crude sliding below $US49, as swelling US inventories added to the global supply glut.

Gold prices have fallen as a stronger US currency damped investors' appetite for the dollar-denominated metal.

Mid-tier nickel miner Mincor Resources has dipped back into the red with a first-half loss of $1.89 million but says it beat its production and cost guidance, allowing it to declare an interim dividend of 2 cents per share.

Mining services contractor Viento Group says it can’t explain why its share price has risen by 75 per cent to 12 cents per share in two weeks.

Copper and gold miner Oz Minerals is back in the black thanks to improved production at its Prominent Hill mine in South Australia.

Australia's biggest workforce provider, Skilled Group, has unveiled a flat first-half profit result although its engineering and marine services businesses posted strong earnings.

Oil prices have slumped after the International Energy Agency issued a downbeat global market outlook and traders braced for a further increase in record US crude-oil stockpiles.

Gold prices have fallen, as investors pushed up yields on US government bonds on expectations that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates later in 2015.

Bradken shares plunged 22 per cent after it suffered a heavy half-year loss, adding to expectations of a bleak earnings season for mining contractors.

Rio Tinto is expected to keep its promise to increase returns to shareholders this week.

Subiaco-based explorer RTG Mining has raised $15 million through the placement of about 22 million shares to fund exploration and development of its projects in the Philippines.

Amcom Telecommunications has teamed up with e-business association eGroup WA and technology hub Spacecubed to launch a tech accelerator program in Perth to help startups turn their ideas into products.

A man has died after a rock fall at BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam underground copper mine in South Australia, while another man has been killed after being struck by a train near Guildford Station.

Oil prices have advanced further as OPEC forecast a reduction in US output amid a dip in North American crude production.

Gold prices have risen after tough talk by Greece's newly elected government sparked fears about the integrity of the eurozone.

The North West Shelf’s six joint venture partners have yet to declare their hand as a deadline for ending their joint gas marketing agreement draws near.

A planned backdoor listing by Perth technology business Cloud Lands Digital Fortress, which was established by prominent company promoter Ross Smith, has been cancelled.

Kalgoorlie-based Phoenix Gold has raised $5 million from a placement and plans to raise an additional $1 million in a share purchase plan.

The problems for BHP Billiton’s management team didn't start with the South32 proposal, but that plan has brought things to a head.

Australia's largest gold miner Newcrest Mining is expected to report a first half loss as production continues to wane.

Shares in General Mining Corporation have skyrocketed by over 700 per cent on news it was granted the right to solely operate Galaxy Resources’ Mt Cattlin tantalum project near Ravensthorpe, in exchange for $7.5 million in lease fees and a 10 per cent production royalty.

Metals X has agreed to acquire a 25 per cent stake in Tanami Gold’s Central Tanami gold project in the Northern Territory for $11 million in cash and 4 million shares.

Gold has slumped to its lowest level in three weeks as some investors recalibrate their outlook on US interest rates after a stronger-than-expected US jobs report.

West Perth-based Golden Rim Resources will sell its Balogo gold project to Turkish company MNG Group for up to $12.8 million, with the full payment dependent on the mine going into commercial production.

Specialist oil and gas services company 3B Survey has bucked the gloomy mood in the sector by shifting its Australian head office to Perth to pursue growth opportunities.

Western Australian gold producers are enjoying a bright start to 2015 as the domestic price of the precious metal surges higher.