Tim Treadgold

We live in strange times when a state treasury is more bullish about commodity prices than an investment bank.

Who pays? That is a question no-one seems to be asking in the debate over solar-power subsidies, or the bigger question of who pays for the state government’s debt binge.

The federal government has invoked the ‘law of unexpected consequences’ with its new bank levy.

The fun started early at the annual Diggers & Dealers forum in Kalgoorlie yesterday with delegates bravely predicting a higher gold price, to which the market responded by driving the gold pric

Record low interest rates are contributing to the surprising increase in Perth’s property prices.

Buckle up.

When an asset achieves the status of ‘fair value’ it generally ceases to be news, which is probably why no-one has been talking about the Australian dollar reaching that point against the US dollar

Strong June quarter production data have confirmed iron ore as the one bright spot in Western Australia's troubled mining sector, though for how much longer is the critical question for the industr

Western Australia's role as a cash cow funding Canberra's pre-election spending spree was highlighted today when the first of the big iron ore miners filed its June quarter production report, confi

As if commodity price uncertainty and falling consumer confidence weren’t bad enough, now the weather is conspiring to dent WA’s economy.

Gold and iron ore are the newsmakers in Western Australia’s mining industry but nickel could be the troublemaker, with most nickel mines now operating at a loss, potentially triggering another roun

No one in Western Australia needs to be told we have become one of the world’s most expensive locations, but two recent events highlight how the state has become so uncompetitive it is exporting mining jobs to Britain.

Clive Palmer got more than he bargained for when he decided to enter the political arena.

During a previous economic downturn a Sydney-based banker asked of Western Australia: “has everyone stopped eating over there?”

We can expect more cutbacks at state and federal levels, as governments shed staff to save costs.

If Colin Barnett were in the habit of taking advice, which he’s not, then he would stop pushing hard for development of the Oakajee port near Geraldton – because Oakajee is a dead duck.

Costs count, and technology will increasingly be used to deliver productivity efficiencies in the years ahead.

Investors reacted positively to news today that iron ore miner Gindalbie Metals had successfully restructured its finances, but will be reacting with less enthusiasm to the outlook for iron ore prices from Gindalbie’s biggest shareholder.

The rapid change to a deflating economy will be difficult for some, but offer opportunities for others.

CHINA slashed its demand for iron ore exactly a year ago, triggering a collapse in the share prices of Australian mining companies.

The degree to which we, in Australia, control our economic destiny is exaggerated.

It's not easy seeing economic blue sky when the air is filled with grey clouds, but one well-connected bank reckons we’re being too gloomy in Western Australia and that the ‘new normal’ will be much better than the ‘old normal’.

WHAT do you call a person who makes the same mistake year after year? ‘Fool’ is one suggestion, and it seems the same description certainly applies to governments.

Look carefully through the gloom of a sputtering local economy, mine closures, ballooning state debt and rising unemployment and you might catch a glimpse of the first signs of next year’s recovery

IT’S easy to get excited about what’s happening in the fast-moving world of currency values but it’s wrong to describe what’s happening as a ‘war’, because it’s not; what’s going on is simply econo

Whatever else is revealed in tonight’s federal budget there is one thing I hope for – an end to the nonsense of ‘modelling’, because it is painfully obvious that modelling is nothing more than mode

Follow the man, follow the money. For hard-hit followers of resource stocks in Western Australia that’s where they will find nuggets of good news, as smart people with spare cash refocus on a mining sector that’s showing early signs of a sustained recovery.

The heat of a faux election campaign is the wrong time to make major economic decisions such as that relating to the NDIS.

There are plenty of theories floating around today as to why the Australian Government has failed so badly at managing its finances but behind the politics is a simple fact; it has never understood that business creates wealth and jobs, not government.

Fat dividends are the primary reason why Australia’s big four banks have pushed most mining stocks out of the top 10 on the Australian Securities Exchange and, while investors might think bank shar

Australia’s tightrope walk between long-time friend and ally, the US, and newfound customer for mining and energy exports, China, is back on the political agenda thanks to issues raised in a talk a

High-level warnings of continued volatility for the world economy, particularly in the European Union, are another strong buy signal for bullion.