/ 11 May 1999

Gold regains some ground

DAVID LE PAGE, Johannesburg | Tuesday 6.00pm.

GOLD shares made something of a dramatic recovery on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on Tuesday, rising 22 points to 969, as bullion scratched back a dollar.

Financials and industrials crept up, 12 points to 9954 and 45 points to 7345 respectively. The overall index however, suffered, dropping a marginal seven points to 6883.

The yield on the benchmark R150 government bond dropped eight basis points to 14,61%.

In Asia, the Nikkei stumbled for 234 points, resting on 16743, followed by Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, sliding 289 points to 12874.

In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 gained 17 points, touching 6366 mid-afternoon. In Paris, the CAC 40 lost 16,5 points to hit 4330. The German Dax in Frankfurt piled on 43 points to make 5249.

Strong retail earnings and something of a recovery amongst technology stocks, helped the Dow Jones up 42 points to 11049

The repo rate, or Reserve Bank overnight lending rate, dropped one basis point to 15,481%.

Gold pulled back up to $279,05.

The yield on the key R150 government dropped 14,61%.