Tim Treadgold

ANALYSIS: Fintech is here and is going to grow quickly, so businesses need to get up to speed.

For evidence that success can sometimes damage a business we need look no further than the political games playing out ahead of next year’s state election, with the very real chance Western Australia’s biggest iron ore miners will be hit by a $5 per tonne penalty tax because they’re too successful.

Governments of all hues have failed to address the yawning gap between the ruling class and the less privileged.

ANALYSIS: Vienna is a long way from Perth, but what might happen there on November 30 could have a profound effect on the Western Australian economy.

ANALYSIS: Green shoots are popping up in WA as improved conditions for iron ore and gold, and strong prospects for the upcoming crop harvest, offer sources for optimism.

Before the unexpected (and perhaps unsustainable) rise in the price of iron ore, a more interesting trend was developing in the mineral that could put a spring under one of Western Australia’s most

The performance of five of WA’s major resources players provides a useful guide to the overall direction of the state economy.

With as many as 160,000 apartments to be completed in Australia’s major cities by the end of next year, some forecasters are becoming concerned about ‘settlement risk’.

There is not a crisis at Wesfarmers, that’s the good news, but there’s certainly a problem – and it’s starting to worry investors.

The sheer volume of resources exports is driving the nation towards a trade surplus, and a higher exchange rate. 

ANALYSIS: Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart, who are leading the herd into cattle farming, face a tough market for meat exports.

There’s a lot that can be learned from other people’s mistakes, or in the case of electricity and transport systems, from the mistakes made in another state.

Low aluminium prices caused by a worldwide glut are flowing through the industry in Australia, with consequences for WA’s South West.

India’s economic potential offers opportunity for WA businesses, but questions remain as to whether the expectations of both sides can be met.

If the Western Australian government is seeking a marketing advantage over other states, it has just been handed one in the form of the disastrous energy policy destabilising the rest of the country.

A couple of smaller miners that rode out the slide in iron ore prices could be the early movers in a more widespread revival in the sector.

ANALYSIS: A convergence of geopolitical and political events is causing widespread concern across Europe and the US, and WA’s gold sector could offer some stability for investors.

Whether Premier Colin Barnett stays or goes is a political decision, but it would be unwise for anyone to imagine that a change at the top of government will not have a significant effect on the way business is conducted in Western Australia.

ANALYSIS: No-one knows how long it might take for Wesfarmers’ foreign foray to bear fruit, and at what cost.

It might be wishful thinking, but there are encouraging signs pointing to an end to the crisis that has humbled Western Australia’s nickel mining industry.

IT might not feel like it, but there are early signs of boom conditions forming in some parts of the state’s mining industry, with two sectors in particular benefiting from events in the markets for commodities, labour, and capital equipment.

ANALYSIS: Balancing WA’s trade needs with Australia’s broader geopolitical and strategic interests is a challenge for leaders in this state.

The desire to bash the banks is understandable when some of their past behaviour is considered; but before the bashing goes too far, it is important critics know what it would mean to damage an important part of the Australian economy at a delicate point in the global economic cycle.

If utilities such as Water Corporation can’t fulfill their primary responsibility to the public, maybe an alternative ownership model would be a better option.

The short selling of shares in some of Australia’s biggest retail stocks suggests investors are concerned about the sector’s future.

ANALYSIS: Politics and business never mix well, which is something the state government is about to discover with news that former Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls is eyeing a return to his party’s top job.

Problems with electricity supply and pricing on the eastern seaboard could provide an opportunity for WA.

Gold’s rising stocks and role in the post-boom recovery will make this year’s Diggers & Dealers the most promising for many years. 

High-end residential property prices in Perth have weakened considerably since the iron ore construction boom ended and oil prices collapsed, although these two negative events are slowly slipping from the headlines and being replaced by positive changes.

Changes to superannuation policy played a role in the significantly reduced majority for the Turnbull government at the July 2 election, but if you look a little deeper you find something far more interesting – the government can’t afford its retirement policies, and some retired people can’t afford to live.

SPECIAL REPORT: Mining stocks are again leading the way in shareholder returns, but this time it’s not the iron ore players doing the business.

Wesfarmers remains confident its move into the British home improvement scene will be a winner, despite recent criticism.