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Botswana's economy shrinks
July 5, 2011--Botswana's economy contracted 2.2% in the first quarter compared to the previous three months due to lower mining output,
the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said on Monday.
The mining sector contracted by 4.2% in the first quarter, while finance and business services fell by 6.1%, a statement on the CSO website showed.
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Source: FIN24
JSE ends higher in thin trade
July 4, 2011--The JSE closed a tad stronger on Monday, with trading volumes remaining thin due to the public holiday in the US.
Positive US data on Friday and the approval of Greece's next tranche of aid helped boost sentiments, said Kevin Algeo, portfolio manager at Imara SP Reid.
By 17:00 local time, the JSE All Share [JSE:J203] index was up 0.48%, with resources firming 0.53% and gold miners jumping 1.06%.
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Source: AME Info
Bonds remain firm in late trade
July 4, 2011--South African bonds remained firm in late trade on Monday, which a trader attributed to the strong rand boosting the market. The trader added that it had been a "very quiet" session due to the US holiday.
US markets are closed for the Independence Day holiday.
By 15:50, the benchmark R157 bond was trading at 7.480% from its previous close of 7.520%. The R207 was bid at 8.370% and offered at 8.345% from 8.395%, and the R186 was bid at 8.575% and offered at 8.565% from 8.590%.
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Source: FIN24
Positive US data boost JSE
July 1, 2011--Cheery US economic data boosted the JSE, which ended slightly firmer after spending much of the day trading sideways.
Now that the second round of US quantitative easing has ended, attention was turning to economic data, said Dimitri Mitropapas, a stock broker at PSG Konsult. On Friday, good manufacturing figures from the US helped the local bourse recover, Mitropapas added.
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Source: FIN24
Bonds mixed in late trade
July 1, 2011--South African bonds were mixed in late trade on Friday. The R157s were weaker on the back of some weekend profit-taking, while the R186 remained in firmer territory on the back of some buying of longer-dated stock, a local trader noted
By 15:50, the benchmark R157 bond was trading at 7.520%, from 7.500%. The R207 was bid at 8.400% and offered at 8.375% from 8.390%, and the R186 was trading at 8.575% from 8.590%.
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Source: FIN24
Bonds firmer in late trade
June 30, 2011--South African bonds were up to 5 basis points firmer during late trade on Thursday, on the back of the stronger rand and a better than expected PPI figure, released earlier in the day.
By 15:50, the benchmark R157 bond was trading at 7.460% from its previous close of 7.500%. The R207 was bid at 8.365% and offered at 8.355% from 8.390%, and the R186 was trading at 8.550% from 8.600%.
The rand was bid at 6.7714 against the dollar from its previous close of 6.7928.
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Source: FIN24
Strong rand limits JSE gains
June 30, 2011--- The JSE ended higher on Thursday even though it lagged its international counterparts, with upbeat US economic data helping bolster sentiments.
The strong rand kept the gains in check, hitting gold counters in particular, said Andrew Todd, an equity derivatives trader at Imara SP Reid. A survey of Chicago-area manufacturing activity and US initial jobless claims proved to be a catalyst for buying on the local equities, he said.
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Source: FIN24
Greek optimism lifts JSE
June 29, 2011--The JSE opened stronger on Wednesday as optimism over the possible solution to Greece's debt woes continued to bolster market sentiment.
By 09:17 local time, the JSE All Share [JSE:J203] index was up 0.36%, with gold miners rising 0.87%, resources adding 0.55% and platinum miners gaining 0.68%. Banks were flat, while financials were 0.21% higher and industrials inched up 0.26%.
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Source: FIN24
Rand firms on hope for Greek vote
June 29, 2011--The rand firmed to the dollar on Wednesday and stock futures pointed to a positive start on the bourse as hopes that Greece's parliament would approve spending cuts boosted sentiment.
Greece's debt crisis and worries of contagion have dogged world markets and if the country approves the austerity measures it would pave a way for further loans and avert a debt default.
In the absence of market moving developments locally, the rand and stocks will look offshore for direction.
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Source: FIN24
Bonds stay weak in late trade
June 29, 2011--South African bonds remained in weaker territory during late trade on Wednesday, mainly in line with the softer local currency and a sell-off in US Treasuries on Tuesday night.
A local trader said: "We're weaker and the rand isn't helping much, but we're holding at these levels. Everyone was waiting for the Greek vote, and it's gone through now so we'll probably settle down a bit and drift lower - the market does feel as though it's better bid up here and we have seen quite good demand today. If anything we should close toward the mid-end of the range to try to close that gap down to R7.43 - R7.44 on the R157s."
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Source: FIN24
