South Africa Equity Markets | 26 Oct 2015: JSE slips 0.27% stocks fall, Gold index 1.60% higher on Monday

Johannesburg, South Africa Capital Markets in Africa —Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) All Share (the broadest measure of the equity market performance) fell by 0.27 percent or 147.71 points to settle at 54,150.70 points and the benchmark JSE Top 40 index ended 230.19 points or 0.47 percent lower to end at 48,569.26 points.

Looking at the sector performance, financial sector index added 0.29 percent or 133.36 points at 45,678.95 points. Industrial sector index and industrial 25 index dropped 0.38 percent to end at 80,573.96 points and surged by 0.50 percent to trade at 72,518.59 points respectively. Also, the resource index sagged by 0.78 percent or 279.93 points to settled at 35,426.14 points but the Gold mining sector index rose by 1.60 percent with a closing level of 1,093.25 points.

Looking at the market strength/breath (measured as ratio of gainers to losers), the market recorded 137 price gainers and 94 price losers, hence market strength/breathe closed in positive sentiment.  Among the top ten movers upwards was Sappi, whose shares rose 4.55 percent to ZAR 53.32 after investors bought and sold 1,427,106 shares in 1,447 deals. Coronation Fund Managers climbed 4.51 percent after 2,441 deals saw the exchange of 1,656,671 shares, which sent the share price up to ZAR 73.75 by market’s close.

MTN Group was among the top losers, with a loss of 12.49 percent following the trade of 15,611,232 shares in 24,234 deals, leaving the share price down at ZAR 167.00. After 2,821 deals totaling 3,763,763 shares, Impala Platinum Holdings slid 4.65% to sell at ZAR 41.00.

On the Forex markets front, the South rand was weaker against US dollar at ZAR 13.6393 after dropping 0.02 percent and against British pound to trade at ZAR 20.9156 after losing 0.33 percent. The rand also dipped by 0.32 percent against the Euro to close at ZAR 15.0675.