The JSE was weaker in noon trade on Wednesday on the back of negative global sentiment. Heavy losses in resources, following BHP Billiton’s results released before the opening, exacerbated the bourse’s fall.
By 12.15pm, the all share index shed 1,19%. Resources retreated 2,21%, while the gold and platinum mining indices surrendered 0,48% and 0,93% respectively.
The all share industrial index was down 0,71%, financials fell 0,27% and the banks index was 0,22% softer.
The rand was bid at 6,47 per dollar from 6,49 when the JSE closed on Tuesday, while gold was quoted at $438,60 a troy ounce from $438,95/oz at the JSE’s last close.
“The market is not looking great. There has been a pullback in most of the stocks. Quite a bit of negativity is coming in from offshore markets,” a dealer said.
He added that while the JSE had not reacted yet to worse-than-expected consumer inflation (CPI, CPIX) numbers released at 11.30am, the data could be negative going forward. The data is seen as reducing the chances of an interest rate cut and would therefore be positive for the rand. A cut would further erode the carry trade, which involves borrowing in low yielding currencies and investing in high yielders.
The dealer said that on the JSE’s downside, BHP Billiton was taking a hammering on the back of its results. He explained that while these were better than consensus, they were below the forecasts of a number of big players. BHP Billiton’s dividend was also on the shy side.
BHP Billiton shares dropped 3,93% or R3,85 in morning trade to R94,15 and Anglo American tumbled 2,96% or R4,90 to R160,60.
BHP Billiton reported that its attributable profit, excluding exceptional items, had increased by 85,5% to $6,512-billion in the year to June 2005 from $3,510-billion previously.
The median of seven analysts surveyed by I-Net Bridge was for BHP Billiton to report record attributable profit, excluding exceptional items, of $6,47 billion.
Attributable profit forecasts ranged from $6,2 billion to $6,6-billion.
The group reported basic earnings per share for the 2005 year of 106,4 US cents, up 88,7% from 56,4 US cents in 2004.
Analysts had expected basic earnings per share, excluding exceptional items, of 105,6 US cents.
BHP Billiton declared a final dividend per share of 14,5 US cents, for a total dividend per share for 2005 of 28 US cents, up 7,7% from 26 US cents in 2004.
Petrochemicals group Sasol gave up R1,55 to R206,45.
Gold miner Harmony slumped 1,87% or one rand to R52,40 and AngloGold Ashanti was off R1,90 at R229.
Gold Fields, however, firmed 25 cents to R72,76.
AngloPlat weakened 1,7% or R5,40 to R312,60 and Impala was down R4,23 to R633,01.
Industrials to decline included Swiss-listed luxury goods group Richemont, which fell 1,54% or 38 cents to R24,25.
London-listed brewer SABMiller slipped 1,71% or two rand to R114,85.
Mittal Steel plunged 4,39% or R2,30 to R50,10.
Telkom was 1,6% or R2,05 weaker at R125,70, but MTN group climbed 30 cents to R47,70.
Media group Naspers was 2% or R2,10 in the red at R103.
Transport and logistics group Imperial eased 15 cents to R118,50 despite releasing good results before the opening.
It reported a 25% increase in headline earnings per share for the year ended June to 1 046 cents from 835,9 cents a year ago.
A distribution per share of 220 cents was declared, bringing the total distribution to 395 cents per share, increasing by 25% over 2004.
The I-Net Bridge consensus forecast was for HEPS of 1 001,7 cents and a distribution of 397,9 cents.
Cement producer PPC, however, picked up 1,16% or three rand to R262.
Retailer Shoprite rose 1,87% or 30 cents to R16,30 after it reported a 24,4% increase in its diluted headline earnings per share (HEPS) (adjusted for exchange rate differences) to 115,6 cents for the 53 weeks to end-June 2005, from 92,9 cents in the year-earlier (52-week) period.
The company declared a dividend of 50 cents per share, representing a 38,9% rise on the 36 cents declared in 2004, with the group reducing dividend cover to 2,1 times.
The result was very close to the I-Net Bridge consensus of six investment analysts, who had forecast HEPS of 117 cents and a dividend of 50 cents per share.
Financials to fall included banking group FirstRand, which was down 1,1% or 18 cents to R16,21.
Santam dived 3,8% or R2,80 to R70,95. Before the opening, the short-term insurer reported a 16% increase in its fully diluted headline earnings per share for the six months to end-June 2005, to 586 cents from 507 cents the previous year. The group declared an interim dividend of 108 cents per share, up from 95 cents in 2004.
Sanlam, Santam’s major shareholder, shed 10 cents to R13,25, while London-listed financial services group Old Mutual was nine cents lower at R15,81.
South Africa’s consumer price index excluding mortgage rate changes (CPIX) for metro and other areas, which is used by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) for its inflation target, rose by 4,2% year-on-year (y/y) in July after increasing by 3,5% y/y in June, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Wednesday.
CPIX was expected to rise to 3.8% y/y in July from 3.5% y/y in June, influenced largely by higher international oil prices and the lagged effect of the weaker rand, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by I-Net Bridge.
Forecasts ranged from 3,6% to 3,9%. – I-Net Bridge