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New home sales in Western Australia improved during February but economists expect sales growth to moderate throughout the rest of the year.

Billionaire Kerry Stokes' Seven Group Holdings has lodged a takeover bid for debt laden oil and gas company Nexus Energy, in a deal that values Nexus at $26.6 million.

The share market has made a better than expected start to the week, with gains in most sectors.

Treasurer Joe Hockey has warned no individual or business will escape the pain of the government's first budget, as both major parties blitzed Western Australia ahead of Saturday's Senate election re-run.

Inflation has continued to rise, signalling the beginning of the end for the record low cash rate.

Better-than-expected numbers on US consumer incomes and spending has given Wall Street shares a boost, as investors shrugged off sabre-rattling over Ukraine.

Gold prices have ended marginally lower, as a pair of economic reports give conflicting indications about the state of the US recovery.

The Australian dollar has drifted lower ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's April board meeting.

The Australian dollar has edged closer to 93 US cents and could soon hit a near-six month high of 95 US cents, traders say.

The number of hotel rooms in Perth is set to grow by at least 1,400 over the next three years after three major developments were confirmed this week.

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has struck an historic deal with his state and territory counterparts that could see billions of dollars of new infrastructure built across the nation.

Regis Resources has unveiled a restructure of its management team just weeks after reporting a slump in half-year profit and experiencing major flooding at its Duketon gold operations.

BGC has unveiled details of its second major hotel project in Perth, which will add a further 224 rooms to the city's growing hotel development pipeline.

In this week’s edition of Business News Background, news editor Mark Beyer and head of content Mark Pownall discuss with host James Lush the major stories of the week, including new hotel developments in Perth, slowing population growth, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s new leadership team and Perth’s master entrepreneurs.

The share market has closed higher as stronger commodity prices boosted the resources sector, while the major banks also rose.

WA’s population growth rate has slowed, but the state and the country as a whole is still growing fast and in ways that have profound implications.

Australian liquefied natural gas projects can continue to be competitive against new developments planned for the United States, Canada and east Africa, industry consultant RISC has found.

Business confidence remains weak but more Western Australian companies are looking to lift spending and expand their operations, a new survey has revealed.

McAleese Group has retained a $65 million ore haulage contract at Norton Gold Fields' Kalgoorlie gold operations after a competitive tender process.

A former Perth accountant who was sentenced to eight years in prison for multiple fraud charges has been permanently banned from providing financial services by the corporate watchdog.

National construction company Probuild has added a contract to build the third tower at Kings Square to its pipeline of work, taking its value of deals won in the first few months of 2014 to more t

Woodside Petroleum says it has failed to reach definitive agreements with its partners in the Leviathan gas project off the coast of Israel by the joint venture's proposed deadline.

The share market has opened lower after Wall Street fell despite positive economic news in the US.

Fortescue Metals Group has vowed at the official opening of its final expansion project that it was not the end of its incredible rise to become the world’s fourth-largest iron ore producer.

There’s an easy fix for the busted Senate preference system currently in operation, but little political will to take the first step.

US stocks have closed in the red, with the tech-rich Nasdaq leading the losses for a second day as investors weigh a batch of mixed economic data.

Gold prices have sunk to a six-week low as signs of improving US economic growth and easing concerns about Ukraine sap investor interest in the haven asset.

The Australian dollar has hit another four-month high as the prospect of a stable interest rate outlook continues to drive the currency higher.

Belmont-based junior Tungsten Mining hopes to raise about $4.2 million through a heavily discounted share placement and entitlement offer to fund engineering studies at its Kilba tungsten project in the Gascoyne.

The Abbott government has moved to repeal legislation that would effectively extend Australia's migration zone to ensure workers on offshore oil and gas projects obtain visas.

The share market has been weighed down by weaker commodity prices and a stronger Australian dollar.

Migration to Western Australia has fallen by more than 40 per cent in less than two years, with a slowdown in the resources sector driving a big fall in the number of workers moving west.