The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was drifting in the red in noon trade on Tuesday as players paused for breath after the bourse’s strong rally on Monday. A slight recovery in the rand and a lower gold price added to the negative picture.
By 12.03pm, the all-share index was down 0,53%. Resources retreated 1,54% and the gold-mining index slumped 1,6%, while the platinum-mining index eased 0,23%. Industrials and financials firmed 0,2% and 0,23% respectively, while the banks index climbed 0,47%.
After trading at a worst level of R6,7350 earlier in the session, the rand was quoted at R6,68 per dollar, little changed from when the JSE closed on Monday. Gold was quoted at $406,70 an ounce from $408,90/oz at the JSE’s last close.
“The market is taking a breather. We have seen some profit taking and the rand is also helping the situation. The gold price is also down,” a dealer said.
He added that world markets were offering the JSE very little direction.
“Offshore markets are absolutely dead. It was the quietest day of the year in New York yesterday [Monday],” he commented.
In morning trade, London-listed diversified miner Anglo American lost 1,99% or R3,10 to R152,70 and BHP Billiton weakened 1,45% or 95 cents to R64,50.
AngloGold Ashanti tumbled 2,14 % or R5,20 to R238,00, Gold Fields surrendered 1,56% or R1,30 to R82,20 and Harmony was off 1,08% or 90 cents at R82,10.
Petrochemicals group Sasol slid 1,57% or R1,85 to R115,95.
On the industrial market, Swiss-listed luxury goods group Richemont climbed six cents to R17,20 and brand management group Barloworld was 40 cents better at R72,90.
Transport and logistics group Imperial picked up 1,55% or R1,10 to R72.
Retailer Shoprite rose 1,1% or 10 cents to R9,15 after it reported a 39% rise in its headline earnings per share (Heps) for the year ending June 2004, to 79,9 cents from 57,6 cents a year earlier.
The group declared a final dividend of 19,5 cents per share, for a total dividend for the year of 36 cents per share, representing an 18% increase on the 30,5 cents declared in 2003.
The results were below analysts’ expectations. The I-Net Bridge consensus of eight investment analysts had forecast the group’s full-year Heps at 92,9 cents, while Shoprite had been forecast to declare a total dividend of 36 cents per share.
Cellular network operator MTN Group strengthened 2,24% or 63 cents to R28,78 and Telkom gained 2,36% or R1,88 to R81,49.
However, London-listed IT group Dimension Data dropped 1,18% or four cents to R3,36.
Steel producer Iscor plunged 3,23% or R1,55 to R46,45.
London-listed brewer SABMiller dipped 10 cents to R82,70 and pulp and paper producer Sappi was 25 cents softer at R92,25.
London-listed financial services group Old Mutual fell four cents to R12,50 and Liberty Group lost 48 cents to R54,52.
Investment company Remgro was 48 cents in the red at R77,29, while VenFin slipped 1,01% or 20 cents to R19,70.
Sanlam strengthened seven cents to R12,25.
Standard Bank was 25 cents in the black at R43,90, FirstRand firmed nine cents to R10,29, Nedcor notched up 24 cents to R55,00 and Absa added 20 cents to R52,70. — I-Net Bridge