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Traditional owners say it is a "sad day" for their people and land after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal against the approval of a uranium mine in central Western Australia, but conservationists have vowed to continue the fight.

Mineral Resources has announced a 16 per cent lift in half-year net profit to $163 million, helped by several one-off factors including a big revaluation of its stake in lithium miner Pilbara Minerals, partly offset by impairment charges associated with its Yilgarn iron ore operation.

Cooper & Oxley Builders has today gone into voluntary administration, but only after taking legal action to try and retrieve a $5 million investment in the Kings Square project in Fremantle.

PACT Construction has been awarded two contracts, worth $37.7 million and $11.3 million respectively.

Sydney-based energy supplier AGL Energy has secured 7,000 customers in Western Australia since its July 2017 local launch, according to the company's half-yearly report.

Two Perth-based startups have been awarded federal grants totalling about $815,000 to help bring their products to market, as part of the national Accelerating Commercialisation (AC) program.

A joint venture between a subsidiary of Carnegie Clean Energy and contractor Lendlease has won $6.8 million of work to install and operate a renewable powered microgrid in the Mid West town of Kalbarri.

Tech firm Servtech Global Holdings has announced the resignation of chief executive Brett Quinn, while appointing company secretary Derek Hall as a non-executive director and Simon Ingleson as general manager.

National Australia Bank's cash earnings have slipped 1 per cent as expenses have risen partly due to the lender's increased spend on infrastructure and job cuts.

Thousands of Western Australian scam victims could be refunded millions of dollars after US legal authorities issued Western Union a $US586 million ($750 million) penalty for aiding fraud over a 13-year period.

Australian shares have fallen after US stocks came under late pressure on Wall St during another rollercoaster - though less brutal - session.

Premier to pitch for more US ships

The Australian dollar has fallen almost half a US cent against its US counterpart as equity markets continue to bounce back from a sell-off bloodbath that wiped $US4 trillion off the value of shares.

Oil prices have fallen to a one-month low after US data showed a build in inventories and record high crude production, raising worries that the market could be in for more selling, exposing speculators that have bet big on upward momentum in crude.

Gold has slipped as the US dollar has strengthened and global shares have clawed their way off two-month lows, though bullion was underpinned by the view that the dollar's bear run remains in place despite rate hike expectations.

WA book publishers, retailers and authors have adapted to the threat of digital disruption and shown there's plenty of life in the business model.

The team behind Optus Stadium wanted to make sure the venue's design had a distinctly local flavour.

Australian shares have clawed back about $17 billion as markets recover from the impact of a big sell-off on Wall Street.

Rio Tinto's full-year net profit has soared 90 per cent to $US8.76 billion ($A11.1 billion), helped by stronger iron ore and coal prices in 2017.

Australia's major banks are under mounting pressure today, with a draft report from the Productivity Commission raising doubts about competition levels as regulators apply more scrutiny to three of the 'big four'.

Premier Investments is acting on threats to oust the board of Myer with a request for the department store chain's shareholder register in a first step towards holding a vote to install new directors.

CIMIC Group's shares have soared after the construction giant raised its dividend by 13 cents on the back of a 21 per cent lift in full-year profit and forecast a rise in profit in the year ahead.

The blockchain is a powerful tool of trust and verification, writes Sam Birmingham.

The state government has announced the formation of a development committee to guide three key projects in Bunbury, with Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industries president David Kerr and The Apprentice and Traineeship Company chief executive Stan Liaros among those selected for the committee.

Improved margins on live cattle voyages have helped agribusiness Wellard reduce its net loss after tax for the first half of the financial year to $7.5 million, nearly 60 per cent lower than the previous corresponding period.

Bankwest has recorded a $339 million net profit for the first half of the financial year, fuelled by solid income growth and flat expenses, along with lower loan impairments compared to 2016.

Australia shares are regaining ground after an overnight turnaround on Wall St stablilised three days of horror losses on global markets.

Investors try to hold their nerve

The Australian dollar has crept a little higher against its US counterpart the day after global equity markets plunged amid widespread sell-offs that wiped out $US4 trillion in value - $66 billion of it off Australian shares.

Oil has fallen for a third day as the US dollar rose to its highest in more than a week in the wake of a sharp sell-off on Wall Street and other stock markets, a global rout that wiped out $US4 trillion ($A5.1 trillion) in value.

Gold prices have fallen one per cent to a 2-1/2-week low, as investors focused on expectations for higher US interest rates, even as US stock markets swung wildly in both directions a day after the Dow and SP 500 indexes tumbled.

Singapore-based developer Dradgin Pte disclosed today it had offered financial assistance to Cooper & Oxley Builders, which has suspended work on all its construction sites this week.