TUESDAY, 5.30PM:
AFTER a slow start to the week, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange woke up on Tuesday with a strong opening on US markets boosting local industrial shares. Gold shares, however, languisehed in the doldrums.
At the close the industrial index had climbed 17,3 points to 8 953, but the all gold index had slipped 4,4 points to 1 001,8, while the all share index was pushed up 17,7 points to 7 273,2.
The JSE was boosted by the flying start on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which saw it jump 65,73 points to 7 693,73 in the first thirty minutes of its session. However, there was some concern as the key US 30-year Treasury Bond weakened to a yield of 6,64% from an earlier 6,61%.
Gold shares were generally left out of the action as bullion failed to break above the $325/oz level. Gold was last quoted at $322,25 from a London afternoon fix $322,40/oz.
The surge in US financial markets saw local bonds improve, withthe government R150 long bond trading 5,5 basis points stronger at a 14,285% yield near the close, while the longer dated R153 was five basis points better at a 14,41% yield.
Meanwhile, Monday’s late release of reserves data failed to affect the value of the rand, which was hovering around the R4,70/$ level in late trade on Tuesday despite a strong American unit on international currency markets. At 4pm the local unit was quoted at R4,7005 to the dollar from R4,7000 at Monday’s close. The rand touched a best level of R4,6955 and a worst level of R4,7055 during Tuesday’s session.
TUESDAY, 11.00AM:
WITH holidays in Canada and the United States, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange lacked direction on Monday to post its dullest day’s trade in months.
The gold index continued its downward trend as lack of interest saw the index shed 10 points to 1 006. Industrial shares lost 46 points to see the index close at 8 938. The only action was seen in financials where a growing realisation that no interest rates cut is imminent saw profit-taking which led to the index shedding 187 points over the day to close at 9 872. The all share index followed, losing 52 points to end the day on 7 256.
Mixed reactions to latest reserves figures released after Monday’s close of trade by the Reserve Bank are likely to continue the downward mood on the markets on Tuesday.