Perth commentator Tim Treadgold is one of the state's highest-profile business journalists. He brings decades of experience to Business News, offering readers sharp and insightful analysis of current events and breaking news.
It may not be a feeding frenzy, yet, but the flood of deals in the Australian mining industry is a pointer to a significant and very positive mood swing.
The $1.4 billion joint bid by Baosteel and Aurizon for control of Perth-based Aquila Resources marks a new wave of Chinese investment interest in WA’s iron ore.
Just as Western Australia’s nickel miners pop champagne corks to celebrate the remarkable 40 per cent rise in the nickel price over the past five months, signs have started to emerge that the party might soon be over
Masked by the delay in plans to merge Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining to create a $33 billion global gold mining giant is another sign that Western Australia’s resources industry is losing its international investment appeal.
Finally, after decades of dithering and empty promises there is hope the ambitious Oakajee port and rail plan in the Mid West will move beyond the drawing board, not that there will be a ground-breaking ceremony for a few more years.
It's easy to understand why South Africa’s Woolworths is currently being seen as a winner with its $2.15 billion takeover offer for David Jones, but it’s also interesting to wonder whether Woolworths will be seen as a winner next year.
It’s amazing what an improvement a new owner can bring to a business, which is why the proposed break-up of Australia’s biggest company, BHP Billiton, is excellent news for Western Australia, particularly the Goldfields and South West.
Dollar up, gold down. It wasn’t supposed to be like that, especially in a week when Australian miners have been trying to convince international investors at a conference in Hong Kong that it’s time to take a fresh look a country that was in danger of pricing itself out of the market.
High debt levels and rising interest rates are an unpleasant combination, but everyone with an interest in the retail, property and share markets would be wise to see that one factor has arrived and the other one is on its way, potentially producing a pincer-squeeze on spending and growth.
Never has the KISS management principle (keep it simple, stupid) been better demonstrated than in the dreadful condition of Western Australia’s mineral processing sector, where crisis is piling on crisis.