The JSE bounced between red and green in morning trade, but remained in the negative at noon on Thursday as uncertainty, nervousness and negative sentiment seeped back and continued to put global markets under pressure.
The local market continued to take direction from poor international bourses.
“Markets are down, and that is on the poor-performing global markets,” said a local trader.
“Uncertainty is the name of the game.”
In early trade the local bourse added to yesterday’s hefty losses and was down 2,3% as global equities plunged into panic as fears of a United States-led recession clouded the market.
“Markets opened lower but not as much as expected after taking into account the falls experienced yesterday and that of global markets,” explained the trader.
“The weak currency is really holding us up,” added the trader.
At 12.06pm, the JSE’s all-share index fell 0,36%. Resources gained 1,38% and gold stocks added 2,21%, while platinum miners gave up 5,56%
Industrials weakened 0,21%, banks were down 4,90% and financials lost 3,82%
The rand was bid at 10,17 to the dollar from 9,41 when the JSE closed on Wednesday, while gold was last quoted at $837,65 a troy ounce from $845,80/oz at the JSE’s last close. Platinum was at $914,50/oz, down 4,24% from its overnight close of $955/oz.
Dow Jones reports that European stocks tumbled again on Thursday, extending the previous session’s slump, as investors work through the implications of a prolonged global downturn.
“The global economic growth prospect is dreadful and markets are increasingly focusing on this,” said Paul Mortimer-Lee, an economist at BNP Paribas in London.
“Bottom up equity analysts’ forecasts are doing exactly what they say on the tin — they are going bottom up.”
At about 9.25am GMT, the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index was 2,7% lower at 211,32; the gauge slumped 6,5% on Wednesday. In terms of national markets: the UK’s FTSE 100 Index dropped 2,8% to 3 964,44, while France’s CAC-40 Index tumbled 3,4% to 3 266,87. Germany’s DAX Index slid 2,2% to 4 755,54.
Front month S&P’s 500 futures last traded 1,5% higher at 916,60.
On the JSE, resource giant Anglo American was up R4,70, or 2,13%, to R225,60 and BHP Billiton added R8,59, or 5,73%, to R158,58.
Sasol lost R6,75, or 2,59%, to R253,50.
Gold miner AngloGold came up R6,75, or 3.47%, to R201 while Gold Fields added R1,74, or 2,39%, to R74,49.
Among platinum miners, Anglo Platinum dropped R54, or 9,02%, to R545 and Impala Platinum gave up R4,50, or 3.46%, to R125,50.
Among industrials, brewer SABMiller was up R10,90, or 7,67%, to R153, luxury goods group Richemont added R1,30, or 3,69%, to R36,50, while Imperial lost R2,68, or 4,86%, to R52,52 and Barloworld gave up R3,01, or 5,10%, to R55,99.
Among banks and financials, Standard Bank was down R3,10, or 3,88%, to R76.90, Nedbank weakened R4,67, or 4,97%, to R89,30, and Absa gave up R7,63, or 7,36%, to R95,99.
Old Mutual came down 54 cents, or 5,17%, to R9,90 and Sanlam eased 84 cents, or 4,91%, to R16,26. Telecommunication group MTN gave up R2,79, or 2,85%, to R95 while Telkom was down 25 cents to R114,50. – I-Net Bridge