THURSDAY, 5.45PM:
THE all share index on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange ended a relatively thin day’s trade on positive ground, thanks to an 85-point leap in the financial index.
At the close the financial index was up 84,7 points at 9 891,7 while the industrial index fell 17,4 points to 6 946,7. The all gold index slipped 3,3 points to 748,3, leaving the all share index up 5,4 points at 5 813,3.
Bullion continued its downward trend, with the yellow metal last at $281,60 an ounce compared with Wednesday’s London afternoon fix of $282,50, and the New York close of $281,45.
Bonds ended slightly firmer in quiet trade. At 4pm the benchmark R150 government long bond was quoted three basis points firmer at a 13,45% yield. The longer dated R153 was 0,5 basis point softer at 13,555%. The Eskom 168 bond was last bid unchanged at 13,465%.
The rand, meanwhile, remained under pressure against the dollar as the Hong Kong stock market fell 7% and gold continued its slide. At 4pm the rand stood at R4,9665/95 to the dollar from R4,9575-05 at the close on Wednesday.