The JSE declined on Wednesday due to the stronger rand as well as the decline in gold and resources stocks, brokers said. By 11.40am, the all share index was down 0,23%, industrials lost 0,07%, financials added 0,03%, resources fell 0,56%, the gold mining index declined 0,12%, the platinum mining index climbed 0,4% and the banks index fell 0,17%.

Spot gold on Monday afternoon moved to a fresh 17-and-a-half-year high of $468,85 a troy ounce as stops were triggered in the metal and amid a lack of countervailing selling and talk of another potential hurricane developing off the United States coast, traders said.

Mining group Aflease Gold and Uranium Resources on Monday announced that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has begun a strike at the Bonanza South gold mine near Klerksdorp, along with an illegal underground sit-in. However, NUM Klerksdorp representative Hoyce Pundulu said the strike is legal.

Spot gold on Monday touched a fresh 17-year high of $461,70 a troy ounce on strong buying of the metal, despite a lower euro, traders said. At 10.45am, gold was quoted at $461,35/oz, up $2,55/oz from its previous close. The euro was last at $1,2129 from the unit’s previous close of $1,2160.

Oil and chemicals group Sasol on Monday unveiled record profits for its 2005 financial year due to the sharp increase in international crude oil prices, while the company also predicted "satisfactory growth" in earnings for its 2006 year. Sasol reported an 86% increase in diluted headline earnings per share.

Global resources group BHP Billiton on Monday announced that it has extended its share buy-back programme by 12 months to September 30 next year. The group also increased the maximum number of shares that may be purchased by BHP Billiton Limited under the buy-back programme from 186-million to 358-million.

World number two platinum-miner Impala Platinum (Implats) on Friday reported a 9,9% increase in basic headline earnings per share for the year to June 2005 of 4 325 cents, from 3 924 cents in the group’s 2004 year. The group declared a final dividend per share of 1 800 cents.

Global resources group BHP Billiton on Wednesday announced that its attributable profit, excluding exceptional items, increased by 85,5% to $6,512-billion in the year to June 2005, from $3,510-billion previously. The group reported basic earnings per share for the 2005 year of 106,4 United States cents, up 88,7% from 56,4 US cents in 2004.