Tim Treadgold

Mining and debt have always been a deadly combination, especially for investors, but toss in a stiff dose of politics and you have a brew infinitely more volatile for everyone, including government.

Bell Group has been in the news recently, which is an apt reminder of the downside of debt, considering the state of play in the resources sector.

At first glance there does not seem to be much connecting Gina Rinehart with Clive Palmer, but a closer look reveals a common thread … made of steel.

A US court ruling concerning the controversial Simandou iron ore project in West Africa is a worry for Rio Tinto, but not WA.

It is one of the most overused quotes of all time, but if you look at the old and the new of Western Australia’s mining industry it is impossible to avoid thinking about the first words in Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”.

Iron ore producers, and the WA economy, need to prepare for more sluggish demand from China if the findings of a major investment bank are accurate.

If news from the science and banking communities proves to be as promising as it sounds, a new business opportunity is brewing that promises to be as disruptive and profitable as the early years of mobile phones – while also derailing a century-old government service.

Expect fireworks at the Australian leg of BHP Billiton’s annual meeting process, to be held in Perth this week.

’Tis the season to be gloomy, that much we know from following financial markets; but an early nominee for the Dr Gloomy prize of the season goes to former ANZ Bank chief economist, Saul Eslake, who said earlier this week that the China-driven mining boom was “the last in human history”.

Some of the Gorgon gas project’s major backers are warily eyeing prices as the project nears production.

It’s not often that a breath of fresh air wafts out of Europe, but last night was a time for a few revolutionary comments about business, specifically that ride-sharing service Uber is ‘not a problem, just a new business model’.

There’s growing belief commodity prices have bottomed out and things are set to improve.

As much as Australia might benefit from a cut in official interest rates, it would definitely benefit from encouraging a new industry, such as the nuclear-fuel processing facility being championed by the South Australian government, and supported by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Fresh analysis by Business News clearly shows how much WA’s economic performance has fallen relative to the rest of the nation.

A dispute over the future of the failed Ellendale mine might not be the worst event in the downturn hurting the state’s once-brilliant diamond industry, because the much bigger Argyle mine is also facing a fresh threat to its future.

The recent travails of VW and Glencore provide a stark reminder of the limits of globalisation.

Gas, tuna, and crayfish might not seem to have a clear connection, but there is a link – and it’s one Jeff Kennett thinks might become a worry for local supermarkets and promoters of Australian food exports to Asia.

Nickel producers are waiting for one of their cohort to ‘blink’ first, as overproduction and sluggish demand threaten the sector’s viability.

Tipping the top or bottom of a market is never smart, especially at a time of volatile trading; but a series of recent events point to confidence growing in the start of a recovery in the Western Australian economy.

The wholesale supplier has lost a huge chunk of its stock market value as it battles the grocery giants.

It is hard to find a winner in the coal-mining industry these days but some investors were quick to spot a Perth-based winner yesterday in the form of Wesfarmers, which saw the value of its coal assets boosted by a deal in the Hunter Valley of NSW.

WA-based LNG Ltd has fallen back to earth as an oversupply of liquefied gas worldwide is hitting the share prices of gas-exposed stocks.

No-one in Western Australia needs to be told that the state is passing through a rough patch; it’s in their face every day.

With the resources sector in the doldrums, another of Australia’s traditional strengths – agriculture – is standing tall.

If Andrew Mackenzie and Sam Walsh are right, then Western Australia’s commodity dependent economy could be at the start of a recovery; and not before time, given the weakening state of the property market as measured by mortgage defaults.

The commodity price crash is drawing in some big-name, high-cost producers.

If Woodside Petroleum’s one-for-four share swap bid for rival LNG producer Oil Search was plan A, then plan B, when it comes, had better be a beauty, because so far no-one apart from Woodside management can say anything positive about the proposed takeover.

Growing the size of the cake, rather than squabbling over the current morsels, should have been the focus of the recent National Reform Summit.

Tipping a commodity price recovery that will boost Western Australia’s economy is a game for the brave or the foolish; and while Colin Barnett came close to being one or the other yesterday, he was actually just being premature.

Despite the pain being felt by many small investors, the Chinese-led stock market falls of the past week was a long-overdue correction.

If ever Western Australia is to have another slogan on vehicle number plates, then the favourite has to be a return to the short-lived ‘Golden State’ catchphrase.

Could the contrasting fortunes of Atlas and Elders signal the start of a rural revival?