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Oil prices have fallen to a one-month low after US data showed a build in inventories and record high crude production, raising worries that the market could be in for more selling, exposing speculators that have bet big on upward momentum in crude.

Gold has slipped as the US dollar has strengthened and global shares have clawed their way off two-month lows, though bullion was underpinned by the view that the dollar's bear run remains in place despite rate hike expectations.

WA book publishers, retailers and authors have adapted to the threat of digital disruption and shown there’s plenty of life in the business model.

The team behind Optus Stadium wanted to make sure the venue’s design had a distinctly local flavour.

Australian shares have clawed back about $17 billion as markets recover from the impact of a big sell-off on Wall Street.

Rio Tinto's full-year net profit has soared 90 per cent to $US8.76 billion ($A11.1 billion), helped by stronger iron ore and coal prices in 2017.

Australia’s major banks are under mounting pressure today, with a draft report from the Productivity Commission raising doubts about competition levels as regulators apply more scrutiny to three of the 'big four'.

Premier Investments is acting on threats to oust the board of Myer with a request for the department store chain's shareholder register in a first step towards holding a vote to install new directors.

CIMIC Group's shares have soared after the construction giant raised its dividend by 13 cents on the back of a 21 per cent lift in full-year profit and forecast a rise in profit in the year ahead.

The blockchain is a powerful tool of trust and verification, writes Sam Birmingham.

The state government has announced the formation of a development committee to guide three key projects in Bunbury, with Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industries president David Kerr and The Apprentice and Traineeship Company chief executive Stan Liaros among those selected for the committee.

Improved margins on live cattle voyages have helped agribusiness Wellard reduce its net loss after tax for the first half of the financial year to $7.5 million, nearly 60 per cent lower than the previous corresponding period.

Bankwest has recorded a $339 million net profit for the first half of the financial year, fuelled by solid income growth and flat expenses, along with lower loan impairments compared to 2016.

Australia shares are regaining ground after an overnight turnaround on Wall St stablilised three days of horror losses on global markets.

Investors try to hold their nerve

The Australian dollar has crept a little higher against its US counterpart the day after global equity markets plunged amid widespread sell-offs that wiped out $US4 trillion in value - $66 billion of it off Australian shares.

Oil has fallen for a third day as the US dollar rose to its highest in more than a week in the wake of a sharp sell-off on Wall Street and other stock markets, a global rout that wiped out $US4 trillion ($A5.1 trillion) in value.

Gold prices have fallen one per cent to a 2-1/2-week low, as investors focused on expectations for higher US interest rates, even as US stock markets swung wildly in both directions a day after the Dow and SP 500 indexes tumbled.

Singapore-based developer Dradgin Pte disclosed today it had offered financial assistance to Cooper & Oxley Builders, which has suspended work on all its construction sites this week.

The Australian share market has suffered its biggest one-day fall in more than two years, wiping around 3.3 per cent from its value, after Monday night's plunge on Wall Street.

The state’s automotive industry got off to a positive start in 2018 with a rise in new vehicle sales for January, compared to last year, on the back of increased SUV and light commercial vehicle sales.

Western Australian small businesses are unhappy with the current state of the economy but are the most optimistic in the nation about its future, a survey has found.

Retail spending was more sluggish than expected in December, following a surprisingly strong lift in November.

Australia's trade balance fell into deficit for only the second time in 2017 in December due to a rise in imports.

Finbar Group will officially launch the first stage of its $342 million three-tower development at Canning Bridge in Applecross this weekend.

Consumer spending remains a concern for the Reserve Bank of Australia, which has again left the cash rate on hold at 1.5 per cent.

Marine services business Bhagwan Marine has opened its new head office on St Georges Terrace, after the company announced plans to shift from Geraldton in June last year.

Ausdrill managing director Ron Sayers has announced his retirement after 30 years at the helm of the mining services company he founded.

A new state government advisory body to improve analysis and transparency of major projects, Infrastructure WA, will begin work next year, according to Premier Mark McGowan, who launched a draft plan for its establishment today.

The plunge in US stocks has infected Australian shares, with the local bourse opening sharply lower in a "bloodbath" after the Dow industrials hit its biggest one-day decline in history.

Building shutdown

US stocks' losses have accelerated in afternoon trading, pushing the S&P 500 down more than 5 per cent from its January 26 record high and the Dow below 25,000 for the first time since January 4.