The JSE was awash with red at noon on Thursday, knocked by a lower gold price and a firming in the rand from levels seen earlier in the day. Weakness in mining stocks offshore exacerbated the bourse’s losses.
By midday, the all share index surrendered 0,57%. Resources retreated 0,84%, with the gold and platinum mining indices sliding 1,75% and 1,41% respectively.
Industrials dipped 0,19%, financials fell 0,65% and the banks index was 0,81% in the red.
The rand was bid at 7,34 per dollar from 7,36 when the JSE closed on Wednesday, while gold was quoted at $617,60 a troy ounce from $622,85/oz at the JSE’s last close.
“The JSE is all in the red,” a dealer said. “The Dow was up last night, but the Nikkei was slightly down although the Hang Seng was up.
“The reason we are down is that the gold price has fallen to $617/oz. The rand has also strengthened quite a bit — earlier this morning it weakened to 7,38 and now it has firmed to about 7,34.”
He added that dual-listed stocks, with the exception of SABMiller, were down offshore and this was further weighing on the market.
“SAB’s results were below forecasts so I don’t know why they are pushing it up. We also had results from Sappi, which were quite spunky.”
In morning trade, SABMiller shares strengthened 1,09% or R1,61 to R149,50. The group reported a 13% increase in adjusted earnings per share to 385,2 cents for the six months ended September from 340,5 cents a year ago.
This translated into 56,6 US cents or 30,5 pence from 52,7 US cents and 28.9 pence a year ago.
An interim dividend of 14 US cents was declared, compared with 13 cents a year earlier.
Shares in Sappi, a pulp and paper producer, leaped 2,55% or R2,62 to R105,35 after the company reported headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the quarter to end-September of 2 US cents compared to a loss of 20 US cents in the previous quarter, as demand increased.
The company reported a full year headline loss per share to the end of September of 11 US cents compared to a profit of 20 US cents per share in the previous year.
Other advancers included media group Naspers, which climbed 1,16% or R1,55 to R135,05.
Retailer New Clicks rallied 2,45% or 27 cents to R11,27. Shoprite jumped 1,89% or 50 cents to R27.
On the market’s downside, London-listed diversified resources group Anglo American lost R1,72 to R341,78. BHP Billiton was R1,05 weaker at R145,20.
Petrochemicals group Sasol slipped R1,99 to R260.
Gold Fields tumbled 2,96% or R3,88 to R127, AngloGold Ashanti shed R2 to R319 and Harmony was 1,74% or R2 lower at R113.
AngloPlat slumped 2,1% or R18 to R838, while Impala was off R1,45 at R177,05.
Swiss-listed luxury goods group Richemont gave up 1% or 37 cents to R36,50.
Hospital group Netcare sagged 2,17% or 28 cents to R12,61.
Cellular network operator MTN Group weakened 1,42% or R1 to R69,40.
Construction group Aveng dropped 4,22% or R1,40 to R31,80, while retailer Woolies retreated 1,45% or 23 cents to R15,67.
On the financial front, London-listed Old Mutual fell 1,27% or 31 cents to R24,19.
Banking group FirstRand slipped 1,01% or 20 cents to R19,60, Nedbank sagged 80 cents to R123,20 and Absa eased 71 cents to R112,99. Standard Bank was 77 cents softer at R86,23. – I-Net Bridge