South Africa Equity Markets | 02 Nov 2015: South Africa equity edges up as financial shares rise, resources and gold miners down

Johannesburg, South Africa Capital Markets in Africa —On Monday, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) All Share (the broadest measure of the equity market performance) advanced by 0.12 percent or 66.52 points to settle at 53,860.26 points and the benchmark JSE Top 40 index ended 32.07 points or 0.07 percent higher to end at 48,349.52 points.

The financial sector index added 0.70 percent or 317.90 points at 45,781.25 points. Industrial sector index and industrial 25 index grew by 0.10 percent to end at 80,779.86 points and advanced by 0.02 percent to trade at 72,760.09 points respectively. However, the resource index plunged by 0.98 percent or 326.77 points to settled at 33,086.31 points and the Gold mining sector index sagged by 0.42 percent with a closing level of 1,039.54 points.

Looking at the market strength/breath (measured as ratio of gainers to losers), the market recorded 123 price gainers and 108 price losers, hence market strength/breathe closed in the positive region.  Amongst the top ten movers up was Massmart Holdings, whose shares rose 5.01 percent to sell at ZAR 120.65 after investors exchanged 491,688 shares in 1,576 deals. Climbing 4.42 percent to ZAR 105.57 was Clicks Group, after 3,819 deals traded a total of 1,886,619 shares today.

Ranking in the top ten losers was Choppies Enterprises, whose shares dipped by 6.30 percent after investors bought and sold 516,491 shares in 116 deals, sending the share price down to ZAR 5.06. MTN Group slid by 6.10 percent to ZAR 148.17 after 16,105 deals saw the sale of 14,780,819 shares.

On the forex markets front, the South rand was stronger against US dollar at ZAR 13.7765 after adding 0.29 percent and against British pound to trade at ZAR 21.2169 after gaining 0.33 percent. The rand grew by 0.17 percent against the Euro to close at ZAR 15.1809.