The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite indexes have rallied more than one per cent as investors appeared hopeful that a resolution to the Middle East war could be found.
The Australian share market has fallen after Middle East peace talks broke down at the weekend and the United States said it would begin its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
An upcoming judgment over billions of dollars of iron ore royalties and shared ownership of mining tenements is expected to be short-lived with parties almost certain to appeal.
Austral Fisheries is enjoying a bountiful northern prawn season after a tough few years, but is carefully watching fuel prices which both limited competition and raised costs significantly.
Changes at the top of Australia's defence force have been announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, including the appointment of the army's first female chief of army.
Japanese LNG producer Inpex will divert a condensate cargo from its Ichthys project off the WA coast to domestic refiners in the east, in a bid to support the nation's fuel security.
A further $1.5 billion will be spent on health infrastructure and the establishment of a new central coordination office as the Cook government pledges to “unlock” more than 900 hospital beds.
Australia has not been asked to help stop ships travelling through the critical Middle East waterway and doesn't expect to be, the prime minister says.
Australia's share market has notched its best week since October 2022, despite slipping ahead of key US-Iran ceasefire talks and with little sign Iran's Hormuz Strait blockade is easing.
