Latest Headlines

Pedal to metal at gold mines

US stocks have closed lower in a shortened post-holiday trading session as the energy sector tumbled on continued weakness in oil prices, and the benchmark S&P 500 confirmed its second correction of 2018.

Gold prices have slipped as investors banked on the safety of the dollar over worries about a slowdown in the global economy, exacerbated by a sharp decline in oil prices.

Oil prices have slumped up to nearly eight per cent to the lowest in more than a year, posting the seventh consecutive weekly loss, amid intensifying fears of a supply glut even as major producers consider cutting output.

The Liberal Party must learn the lessons from its humiliating defeat in Saturday's Victorian election, otherwise the federal poll due in May will be a repeat performance. It would be swept from office, and its ranks in WA decimated.

The Thanksgiving holiday in the US led to a stagnant day of trading on the Australian share market, where banking and energy stocks recouped value and lifted the indices higher.

PODCAST: In this podcast Mark Pownall and Dan Wilkie discuss lithium deals, apartment projects, housing construction, Perdaman contracts, and our special report on wealth creators.

Western Australia has lost one of its most successful businessmen and philanthropists, with self-made billionaire Stan Perron passing away this morning at the age of 96.

Wellard shareholders have given the cattle exporter’s remuneration report a strike for the second time in three years at today’s annual meeting in Fremantle.

Automotive Holdings Group’s shares have slumped to their lowest point since 2012, after the company’s trading update revealed that profit at the start of this financial year was lower than anticipated.

Two separate reports from consultancies PwC and EY have flagged an uptick in mining costs as demand within the local resources industry continues to improve.

Perth is one of the best cities in the world to find a job in 2018, a new study has found.

Lithium Australia has reported the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries generated directly from mine waste.

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: The future can be a scary place for many, but WA’s entrepreneurial spirit will ensure we make the most of opportunity. This article is part of a special series to mark Business News' 25-year anniversary.

SPG Law, a British offshoot of a US litigator, represents 240,000 individuals in Brazil, 24 municipal governments, a Roman Catholic Archdiocese and members of the Krenak indigenous community, and has filed three legal claims for unlimited damages over the failure of the Fundao dam in 2015.

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: Via a mix of good fortune and planning, WA has positioned itself as supplier to the fast-growing economies of Asia rather than a competitor. This article is part of a special series to mark Business News' 25-year anniversary.

The Australian share market has edged lower during volatile early trade, dragged down by the miners and energy stocks but lifted by retailers and consumer stocks.

ALP to make big polluters pay

Gold firmed near two-week highs overnight as the dollar weakened on doubts about the pace of future US interest rate hikes.

Oil prices dipped overnight after US inventories swelled to their highest level since December adding to concerns about a global crude glut but OPEC talk of an output cut limited losses.

The Australian share market has pushed off from the depths of recent lows and closed higher for the first time this week due to broad-based gains to the indices' major sectors.

PwC has joined KPMG, BIS Oxford Economics and Investec in winning advisory work on the partial privatisation of Landgate – with each adviser securing increasingly large contracts.

More than 60 per cent of Mineral Resources shares voted against the company’s remuneration report at today's annual meeting.

Land developer Peet has continued to diversify its business after being selected as the state government's partner for a $45 million high-rise apartment project near central Perth.

Junior gold miner Echo Resources has appointed former Eastern Goldfields chief executive Victor Rajasooriar as its new leader, effective today, after former chief executive Simon Coxhell resigned in October.

The Federal Court has ordered for a Perth businessman’s assets to be frozen in connection with an investigation by the corporate watchdog.

Former ATCO Gas Australia president Pat Donovan has been announced as the new chief executive of the Water Corporation, replacing Sue Murphy after a 10-year tenure.

Osborne Park-based Universal Constructions has secured a $14 million state government contract to build a new primary school in Caversham.

Perth house prices and sales volumes are unlikely to improve significantly next year but rental rates could increase, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia.

RCR Tomlinson, which grew rapidly to be one of Australia's largest engineering contractors with annual revenue of $2 billion, 3,400 staff and multiple contracts in WA, has been placed into administration after failing to secure new funding.

Mineral Resources has struck a deal to sell a 50 per cent stake in its Wodgina lithium project for $US1.15 billion ($1.6 billion), with the company set to form a joint venture with US outfit Albemarle Corporation.

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: Professional services firms in most industry sectors in WA have increasingly become aligned with international groups. This article is part of a special series to mark Business News' 25-year anniversary.