A DISASTER or a strong recovery - that's Martin Place Securities managing director Barry Dawes's each-way bet for what's likely to pan out in equity markets in 2009.
A YEAR ago it would have been unthinkable for a major Australian bank to buy BankWest, the only significant regional player in the powerhouse growth state of Western Australia.
DEBT is a theme across all the top deals of 2008, something that hasn't featured previously because such matters were considered relatively boring in a market awash with cheap credit.
A TALE of two halves is the most apt description of capital raisings last year, with the fall-off in the latter part of the year meaning investors are likely to be more selective in 2009.
LISTED East Perth internet service provider iiNet was already number three in Australia when it bought local rival Westnet for $81 million, but the deal made it the dominant force in Western Australia and strengthened its national market share.
NEXT year may be the year of the insolvency practitioner but the sector was certainly gearing up for business in 2008 as the older hands of the sector recognised the signs of a stumbling bull market.
AN already strained rock lobster industry took another hit late this year as new Fisheries Minister Norman Moore introduced strict limitations to an already tightly controlled field.
IT seems one of the final sanctuaries from that ubiquitous modern-day technological wonder, the mobile phone, is about to be breached as airlines operating within Australia consider allowing the full-blown use of in-flight connectivity.
MALCOLM and Pauline Tew joke that they have the perfect combination of brains and brawn, combining 50 years of experience in international tourism and hospitality between them.
CHILD health researcher Fiona Stanley is a big fan of the concept of what she calls a "philanthropic hub" in Western Australia that would help donors refine their decision-making process and direct them to the worthiest causes that best fit thei
THE collection tins will come out during the lead-up to Christmas with almost every charity, benevolent institution and not-for-profit organisation asking the haves to donate to the have-nots.
THE Christie's broker who sold an 1863 double magnum of Chateau Lafitte to Howard Park founder Jeff Burch and his friend was horrified to find out they drank it.
THE tourism industry was underwhelmed last month when Geoff Carmody described his report on the impact of the global financial crisis on the sector as one of the most downbeat since his first analysis in 1984.
RON Manners remembers getting his first glimpse of what free-market thinking was all about as a youngster in Kalgoorlie, unpacking parts and machinery that arrived from the US.
A SIGNIFICANT number of liable companies remain unaware of the emissions trading scheme's potential impact on their business, according to GHD global climate change response services leader Chris Lund.
THE state's largest electricity retailer is strongly advocating the introduction of advanced metering, in-home displays and critical peak pricing so customers are provided with immediate price signals to modify their behaviour and energy use habits.
KEVIN Reynolds' 34-year reign as Western Australian representative to the federally registered Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union could end this week when the results of the union's election are released.
IT may only be a temporary reprieve but global events have conspired to assist the Department of Education and Training in its bid to fill its teaching needs for 2009.
WHILE the top end of town chases the advertising dollar in securing chart-topping commercial acts to tour Western Australia, a niche market for musical entertainment has emerged with a different focus.
THE Perth music landscape has been irreversibly transformed over the past decade with events organisers for outdoor concerts and festivals poised to stage one of the busiest summers in Perth's entertainment history.
