After being pushed up hard towards the close on Thursday, the JSE started Friday in negative territory and remained lower at midday. Both a stronger rand and weaker world markets were weighing on the local bourse.
By noon, the all-share index had shed 0,66%, led lower by a 1,39% decline in resources and a 1,44% fall in the gold-mining index. The platinum-mining index was off 0,57%. Financials were off 0,43% and the banks index fell 0,70%. The all-share industrial index was unchanged.
The rand was bid at R6,09 per dollar from R6,13 when the JSE closed on Thursday, while gold was quoted at $558,45 a troy ounce from $560,30/oz at the JSE’s last close.
“There is not too much going on today. We are weaker due to the firmer rand and weaker world markets — especially in Asia,” said an equities trader.
The Nikkei ended Friday’s session down 1,1% and by mid-morning European time, both the FTSE and CAC were in negative territory.
London-listed diversified resources group Anglo American eased R1,88 to R219,12, while BHP Billiton shed R2,70 to R105,10.
Petrochemicals group Sasol slipped 1,31% or R3,19 to R239,80.
Among gold counters, Harmony slumped 3,57% or R3,92 to R106,02, Gold Fields fell 88 cents to R141,02 and AngloGold Ashanti shed 1,14% or R4,25 to R367,50.
AngloGold Ashanti on Friday reported a 3% decline in gold production to 1,494-million troy ounces in the December quarter and a 6% rise in production to 6,166-million oz for the year ended December 2005.
It reported a headline loss per share of 414 South African cents for the December quarter after a loss of 147 cents per share in the December 2004 quarter.
AngloGold Ashanti was expected to report headline earnings per share for the December quarter of 34 cents, according to the median of a survey of analysts conducted by I-Net Bridge.
For the full year, its headline loss per share was 273 cents from headline earnings per share of 373 cents in 2004.
Headline earnings per share before various adjustments were 94 cents for the December quarter from 52 cents in the September quarter. For 2005, headline earnings per share before various adjustments were 478 cents from 673 cents in 2004. At the adjusted headline earnings per share level, AngloGold Ashanti was expected to have generated 119 cents, according a median of analysts’ forecasts.
Forecasts ranged from 83 cents to 150 cents.
The group declared a final dividend per share of 62 cents, for a total 2005 dividend of 232 cents compared with 350 cents the year before.
Pulp and paper producer Sappi shed 1,92% or R1,60 to R81,80.
Telkom slid 1,24% or R2,10 to R166,90, but MTN Group was up 20 cents to R64,50.
Brand-management group Barloworld was up 19 cents to R124, while associate PPC was up 2,64%, or R9,50, to R370.
Barloworld said before the opening that deliberations on its behalf by ANZ Investment Bank in respect of its position in the coatings industry in Australia were close to finalisation. This has raised speculation that a deal with Australia’s Wattyl was imminent.
Trading in Wattyl, which is the target of Aus$275-million hostile bid by Allco, was halted in Australia on Friday after the company said it was in talks.
London-listed IT group Dimension Data jumped 2,76% or 15 cents to R5,59 amid speculation that it was the target of a takeover by Telkom.
On the financial front, Sanlam slid 2,43% or 41 cents to R16,49 and Liberty Group was off 1,30% or R1,19 to R90.
Standard Bank weakened 84 cents to R80,15, FirstRand fell 18 cents to R19,02 and Nedbank was six cents softer at R109.
Cullinan was a feature, with its share up 11,63%, or five cents to 48 cents after it revealed in a cautionary statement that it was in negotiations.
Cullinan, which is the holding company for travel agencies including Thompsons, was last in the news in January when it said it had bought Australian-based travel agency New Horizons for R32-million in preference shares. The move was part of the group’s strategy to expand and diversify both its domestic and international travel business, it said at the time.
Inbound and outbound tourism accounts for 80% of Cullinan’s profits.
Traders speculated on Friday that the latest cautionary could also involve another potential acquisition outside of South Africa for Cullinan. — I-Net Bridge