JOHANNESBURG, Jan 3 (Reuters) - South Africa's stocks fell
on Thursday as concerns about future interest rate moves weighed
on banks and insurers while the rand was hurt as investors
dumped riskier assets.
The JSE Securities Exchange's blue chip Top-40 index
<.JTOPI> ended 0.52 percent lower at 26,449.68 points while the
broader All-Share index <.JALSH> closed 0.56 percent down at
29,124.84 points.
Traders said thin volumes were exacerbated by high oil
prices at above $100 a barrel, soaring gold prices and nervous
global equity markets.
"With oil above $100 and gold at a new all-time high equity
markets are skittish," said one Johannesburg-based trader.
Banks, led by Nedbank's <NEDJ.J> 3.23 percent decline to 135
rand and a 2.72 percent drop in FirstRand <FSRJ.J> to 19.70
rand, came under pressure as investors fretted about future
South African interest rate decisions.
"Financial stocks are under major pressure, there are
concerns about the future interest rate environment," the trader
said.
The market is increasingly expecting the central bank to
raise rates on Jan 31, after consumer inflation galloped further
away from its targeted 3 - 6 percent band to 7.9 percent
year-on-year in November.
Gold stocks made their highest one-day percentage gain in
three years as bullion hit a new record.
Gold Fields <GFIJ.J> gained 7.19 percent to 108.80 rand,
Harmony Gold <HARJ.J> jumped 8.51 percent to 76.50 rand while
AngloGold Ashanti <ANGJ.J> rose 6.85 percent to 318.52 rand.
The JSE's gold mining sector <.JGLDX> jumped as much as 6.97
percent, its biggest one-day percentage gain in three years,
according to Reuters Data.
The rand <ZAR=D3> stood at 6,8660 at 1555 GMT, about 0.64
percent softer than its last New York close of 6.8220. It firmed
to 6.7925 earlier but retreated as investors moved away from
higher-risk markets.
"Emerging markets are really not on the radar from the look
of things, the rand has been volatile within a range," said a
Johannesburg dealer.
"Hopefully the U.S. payrolls data tomorrow will give the
euro a bit of a push and take the rand out of this range," he
said.
The yen rose to a five-week high against the euro and dollar
as investors shifted out of risky assets worried about the
impact of the slowing U.S. economy on global growth.
South African government bonds were mixed, with yields on
the 2010 bond <ZAR153=> falling 2.5 basis points to 9.385
percent, while those on the 2015 issue <ZAR157=> were unchanged
at 8.565 percent.
(Reporting by Phumza Macanda and Marius Bosch)
(([email protected]; +27 11 775 3152; Reuters
Messaging: [email protected]))
Keywords: MARKETS SAFRICA/CLOSE