THE past 12 months has been tough for most businesses but especially for the state's major sporting clubs, which have been forced to deal with inadequate venues, declining ticket sales and poor on-field performances, as well as the economic slowdown.
Shares in oil and gas exploration company Carnarvon Petroleum have jumped more than 10 per cent in trading today after the company reported the discovery of commercial quantities of oil at two of its fields off the coast of Thailand.
West Perth-based mining outfit Meteoric Resources has raised more than $1.1 million in a placement to investors to finance initial exploration of its gold project at Webb in WA and new nearby joint ventures targeting iron oxide-copper-gold mineralisation.
Uranium exploration company Extract Resources has completed its previously announced private placement worth $40.3 million as part of a $91 million capital raising to accelerate exploration activities at its Rossing South project in Namibia.
Minerals exploration company Wolf Minerals has raised $4 million for completion of a bankable feasability study on its Hemerdon Ball tungsten and tin project in England.
Business confidence and business performance in WA improved during the last quarter and is now above the national average despite a particularly challenging February to April trading period, a survey has revealed.
VDM Group's order book has been boosted to $346 million after subsidiary Wylie and Skene was awarded a $14.2 million contract for works on BHP Billiton's Rapid Growth Project 5 in the Pilbara.
Low interest rates and a more generous government housing grant have failed to lift the rate of new home building, with housing starts in WA falling by a larger than forecast 18.1 per cent in 2008/09.
Perth-based energy specialist Enerji will investigate the potential use of its low-emission cogeneration technology in two of Babcock and Brown Power's power stations.
Perth-based biotechnology outfit BioPharmica plans to seek an initial public offer for its wholly owned subsidiary, Molecular Discovery Systems, which will focus on cancer treatments.
Adelaide-based Toro Energy has raised $40 million to advance its Wiluna uranium project in Western Australia, with first production anticipated in 2012.
Australia investors have emerged as one of the most pessimistic compared to other countries, in a new survey of senior fund managers who say the global financial crisis is still not over.
The Domenic Martino-chaired mining and engineering services company ORH has secured a $7.5 million equity and debt deal with Helmsman Funds Management.
The corporate regulator has agreed to settle a class action against Professional Investment Services relating to financial advice it gave to clients over the failed Westpoint Group.
Engineering construction activity in Western Australia is tipped to slump 20 per cent over the next two years, above that of a national 15 per cent decline, economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel says.
The market capitalisation of Western Australia's listed companies have continued their upward trend, adding a further 5.3 per cent in August to be collectively valued at $137.7 billion.
Cape Lambert Iron Ore has emerged with a 46.52 per cent stake in Perth-based Corvette Resources after its takeover offer for the junior explorer closed last week.
Shell ticks $50bn gas project; Middle-East threat to gas boom profits; PM puts poll pressure on Turnbull; Oil rig spilling 400 barrels a day; Bosses call for bigger class sizes.
Fortescue Metals Group has settled its third shipping dispute, today agreeing to pay an upfront $6.1 million to a Greek shipping company which had launched a $US130 million lawsuit against the iron ore miner last year.
West Perth-based Red Sky Energy says it will proceed with the acquisition of private company Cydonia Resources after its $4 million share placement closed oversubscribed.
Chevron has secured three new offtake deals for its Gorgon gas project with Japanese and South Korean companies, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd claims are valued at more than $70 billion.
A lift in business confidence has driven expectations that Western Australia's economy will strengthen early next year, an inaugural index by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry shows.
Western Australia's unemployment rate has recorded the largest drop in August compared to other states while the nation's jobless rate remains steady at a seasonally adjusted 5.8 per cent, new figures show.
Paladin Energy says it has received strong institutional support for its $419 million share placement, which will be used to fund acquisitions and expand its Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia.
Electricity sector expert Peter Oates has recommended a string of changes to electricity market rules and the contracts between generator Verve Energy and retailer Synergy to stem Verve's ongoing financial weakness and encourage investment in the sector.
