Tim Treadgold

A large number of small miners are scraping the bottom of the barrel, with tight funds hampering exploration and, therefore, viability.

If Australia was a shop, the owner has just hung out a sign saying “closed until after the election”, a point driven home by instability at the highest level of government, the latest ludicrous attempt to boost manufacturing, and more so because no-one in business has dared criticise the loopy plan.

Rather than embracing the economic opportunity its mining sector offers, South Africa is struggling with bureaucratic and labour problems.

The late Robert Holmes a Court loved what he called “black letter law” - written so tightly by governments that they thought no-one could find a loophole, but which to him was merely a mental puzzle - the sort solved by BHP Billiton as it revved up a 320-tonne Komatsu ore-truck and drove it through the minerals resource rent tax.

After dealing itself out of the market in the early 2000s, Russia may take advantage of a resurgent palladium price.

There will be some glum faces among the many Australian goldminers in Cape Town this week for the world's second biggest mining conference, the annual Mining Indaba, because their favourite metal s

Traditional business models are still playing catch-up with the internet.

Claude Dauphin and Gina Rinehart are two of the richest people in the world with fortunes built on commodities, but that's where the comparison ends because Dauphin is pessimistic about future comm

International miners have a lot to learn about the Australian resources sector.

SAM Walsh has been thrust into the big chair at one of the world's biggest companies, Rio Tinto, which has finally decided to clean up the last of the mess left by the GFC.

Until now the skills shortage which has dogged the resources sector has been all about a lack of tradesmen and technical professionals whereas the Rio Tinto crisis reveals that the real problem is

Sam Walsh has the chance of a lifetime to head one of the world's biggest companies, but he won't be chief executive of Rio Tinto for long, and he's only there because the board has finally decided

Cautious bankers might prefer iron ore prices to be locked in before committing to major projects.

Apart from being the best looking currency in a world full of ugly competitors there are not many reasons for the Australian dollar to continue trading above $US1.05, leaving open the question as t

It's an odd day when people selling something say the price will be cheaper tomorrow, but if you think about what has been happening in the market for WA's most important commodity export, iron ore

Competition in the retail sector is getting tougher as marketing and technology merge, with smaller businesses likely to be left behind.

Troy Buswell might have made a few bad personal decisions in recent years but he is absolutely correct in refusing to surrender control of Western Australia's ability to apply mining royalties to C

The herd mentality means we could be seeing more ‘all-business' conglomerates.

Most investors are not stupid, but if you follow the trail of money they leave there does seem to be an awful lot who just don't think about where they park their hard-earned savings – and that cou

Cheap energy in the US is hurting European manufacturers, as some local retailers struggle to counter online sales.

Wishful thinking, or is there really a change for good blowing through the global economy?

Winners can quickly become losers in the event of a depreciating currency.

Living rich is surprisingly difficult, as Perth commuters are discovering, but if WA's economic success is stretching services today, just wait until the real boom starts and the State looks even m

The owners of capital are looking for maximum returns, and if sending work offshore is one way to achieve that, then more local jobs will go.

Australia has a China problem far deeper than the legal dispute which broke out this week between mining entrepreneur, Clive Palmer, and Sino Iron.

Western Australia's big Argyle diamond mine appears destined to shine as a key part of a new company being packaged by mining giant Rio Tinto for listing on the London stock exchange.

It is hard to see investment conditions getting worse than they have been for the past few years, with analysts in Asia optimistic about China's potential.

It's been a long time between drinks for the Australian wine industry, but if indications in Europe and China are translated into action then local vineyards could start an overdue recovery after y

Investments based on greed and double dipping into the social welfare pool came a cropper due to circumstances beyond their control.

While most media attention seems focused on iron ore and the major operators, there's a number of smaller players offering plenty of potential across a range of minerals. Here's the WA Business News 10 mining stocks to watch.

Western Australia's high cost economy has produced a nasty surprise for the local building industry.

The cost of electricity from renewable sources is becoming clearer.