Palladium soared to an all-time high on Friday, with producers locking in stocks of the auto-catalyst metal squeezed by a sustained supply shortage while gold firmed en route to its first weekly gain in four supported by Middle East tensions.
Oil prices eased on Friday on renewed concern over the US-Chinese trade conflict but futures still posted weekly gains, with Brent marking its biggest weekly increase since January after an attack on Saudi Arabia's energy industry last weekend.
KPMG has been appointed as administrator to two subisdiaries of West Perth-based Northern Oil & Gas Australia, with contractor GR Engineering Services going into a trading halt as result of the action.
A training institute that had operations in Western Australia has been slapped with a record $26.5 million penalty and must repay $56 million to the federal government over "callous" student recruitment tactics.
A private WA company has gained state government approval to develop a floating wharf and onshore terminal at the port of Broome, targeting oil and gas services and cruise ships as its main customers.
PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss the mining jobs outlook, workplace deaths, population growth, apartment projects, our special report on tourism, and our latest instalment of Great for the State.
Far East Consortium has put an end to speculation that it had shelved its $300 million Perth Hub, putting out a call for a builder for the first stage of the project, which will comprise 314 apartments in a 32-storey tower.
Cedar Woods Properties is preparing to launch a second urban infill project in Perth, after entering an agreement to acquire a 12.4-hectare site in Hamersley for $21.2 million.
Azumah Resources has pushed back against Ibaera Capital’s hostile takeover bid, stating that the mining equity fund has paid substantially more for its current stake in the gold junior than the price of its takeover offer.
Premier Investments shares have surged to their highest value in nearly a year after the Solomon Lew-backed retail conglomerate lifted profit and hiked its payout on strong sales at pyjama shop Peter Alexander and Just Jeans.
Brent crude oil prices rose more than 1.0 per cent overnight on fears of longer-than-expected supply shortfalls following Saturday's attacks on a key Saudi Arabian oil processing facility and escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Palladium peaked to an all-time high overnight while gold gained on a weaker US dollar and as investors looked for clarity on future US interest rates after the Federal Reserve on Wednesday signalled a higher bar to further monetary easing.
Interest in equity crowdfunding is growing locally, after Rhinohide reached its investment goal and fellow Perth-based business Tiller Rides announced more than 300 investors have expressed interest in supporting its capital raising.
One of Australia's most experienced electoral officials has called for a major shakeup in the regulation and reporting of political donations at federal and state levels.
Matsa Resources is seeking to raise up to $6 million via a share placement, with a portion of the funds to go towards further development at its Red October gold project.
Mining services company Breight Group has established a specialist training centre in Belmont to lift the skill level of workers undertaking maintenance and shutdowns on mine sites.
Another flurry of substantial share transactions from directors of Perth-based ASX-listed companies have occurred recently following the release of annual results, with David Singleton, Elizabeth Gaines and Rodney Leonard among those involved in the largest deals.
Copper and tin producer Metals X has launched a $32.7 million capital raising to turn around its struggling Nifty copper operation, less than three weeks after it refreshed its board at the behest of its largest shareholder.
Unemployment fell 0.1 percentage points in Western Australia in August to be 5.8 per cent, although the number of people employed full time fell by about 7,900.
Australia’s petroleum tax system will fail to raise much revenue, yet big producers won’t be earning big profits either, according to oil industry consultant Juan Carlos Boue.
