SOUTH AFRICAN stocks were in the red in early trade today, led weaker by resource and precious metal stocks after eastern markets failed to follow through on a positive close on Wall Street.
In opening trade, the JSE all share index was 0.69% weaker, led by resources losing 1.13%, gold producers giving up 1.44% and platinum counters declining 1.64%.
Banks and financials eased 0.19% and 0.17% respectively, and industrials weakened 0.45%.
The rand was bid at R7.52/$ from R7.47/$ when the JSE closed yesterday. Gold was quoted at $1,163.22 a troy ounce from $1,170.60 at the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1,449.50/oz, from $1,452/oz at its previous close.
"We are slightly weaker. We were pushed quite hard into the close yesterday and we haven't seen a follow through in the East this morning after a positive close on the Dow," a derivatives trader said.
"Commodities are leading us down. We will probably hold at these levels until our GDP figures come out. The big number is the US GDP out later in the day," he said.
Dow Jones Newswire reported that US stocks climbed yesterday, pushing the DJIA to a new 2009 closing high as energy companies Chevron and Exxon Mobil and telecommunications giants Verizon Communications and AT&T led a broad rally.
The DJIA closed up 132.79 points, or 1.29%, to 10,450.95, snapping a three-day losing streak and reaching its highest close since October 2, 2008. Of its 30 components, 28 closed higher. The measure's telecom components had the biggest percentage gains, with Verizon rising 90 cents, or 3%, to 31.33, and AT&T climbing 76 cents, or 2.9%, to 26.78. Also providing a big lift, Chevron climbed 1.97, or 2.6%, to 78.74, while Exxon Mobil rose 1.32, or 1.8%, to 76.50, thanks to a rise in crude oil futures.
Yesterday's rise came as investors' confidence in stocks was renewed by better-than-expected existing home sales data, and St Louis Fed President James Bullard's statement on Sunday in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires that the US should continue buying mortgage-backed securities past the first quarter of 2010, when asset purchases are due to end.
Those factors had investors moving back toward the riskier areas of the market they had fled late last week. They shifted their money away from the safety of the dollar and into commodities such as crude oil and gold yesterday, with gold reaching a new record closing high.
Asian stocks are mixed despite solid gains on Wall Street yesterday, with concerns about the economic outlook taking shares down in Tokyo.
Japan's Nikkei ended down 1.0% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was last down 0.2%.
European bourses look set to reverse course, with a bout of profit-taking setting in after some strong gains yesterday.
Among equity movers on the JSE, American plc gave up R4.65, or 1.43%, to R320.10 and moved R1.80 lower to R231.20.
Petrochemicals group declined R2.19 to R296.
ArcelorMittal was down R1.13, or 1.05%, to R106.85 and Iron Ore was off R1.60 to R259.90. It earlier said it expected exports to reach 34 million tons in 2009.
The company exported over 24 million tons of iron ore in 2008.
It said attributed the increases in exports to production increases and reduced domestic demand from ArcelorMittal South Africa, which buys an estimated 2.5 million tons a year from Kumba.
Speaking at a media site visit to Kumba's R8.5bn Sishen South Project in the Northern Cape, Kumba CEO Chris Griffith said the company was currently exporting to customers in a number of European countries, as well as China, Korea and Japan.
It also said it was on track to begin exporting from its R8.5bn Sishen South project in 2012.
The project, which was announced in July last year, involves the development of a new opencast iron ore mine at Postmasburg in the Northern Cape.
fell R5.75, or 1.69%, to R335, was down R1.20, or 1.08%, to R109.80 and Harmony declined R1.20, or 1.49% to R79.50.
Platinum miner shed R13.48, or 1.83%, to R725, Impala Platinum was R2.54, or 1.46%, weaker at R171.96 and was off R2.38, or 1.08%, to R218.62.
In diversified miners, was down R1.41, or 1.46%, to R95.20 and weakened 21 cents, or 1.58%, to R13.08.
Among industrials on the JSE, eased 50 cents to R219.50.
Fast-moving consumer goods group was off 40 cents to R159.50. It earlier reported diluted headline earnings per share of 1,398.4 cents for the year ended September 30, from vs 1,517 cents earlier.
Headline earnings per share from continuing operations was up 20%, at 1,382.1 cents.
Earnings per share from continuing operations increased 45% to 1,556.8 cents per share.
Tiger Brands revenue was at R20.64bn versus R19.17bn earlier, it said.
Banker weakened 21 cents to R96.74, declined 31 cents to R114.68 and was down 48 cents to R125.52.
Among retailers, Pick n Pay declined 60 cents, or 1.48%, to R39.86, Lewis was off 99 cents, or 1.89%, to R51.51, declined 49 cents, or 1.07%, to R45.21 and gave up 28 cents, or 1.51%, to R18.27, but was up 85 cents, or 2.59%, to R33.65.
Pharmaceutical company Ingram gained R1.58, or 3.13%, to R51.98. It earlier reported a 16.4% rise in diluted headline earnings per share to 448.4 cents for the year ended September 2009.
HEPS were 16.1% higher at 450.0 cents from 387.6 cents before.
A final dividend of 80 cents per share was declared.
The group reported a 21% rise in turnover to R4.0bn, benefiting from 12% volume growth, the Single Exit Pricing (SEP) increase and changed product mix.
Headline earnings for the year were up 16.5% to R779.3 million.
was unchanged at R1.75. The investment holding company for IT businesses earlier reported a 63.6% decline in diluted headline earnings per share to 11.2 cents from continuing and discontinued operations for the year ended September 2009 from 30.8 cents a year ago.
Diluted HEPS for continuing operations were 4.9 cents from 22.2 cents a year ago, a decline of 77.9%.
Revenue for the year was up 29.2% at R1.248bn. Profit from continuing operations was down 80.1% to R14.87 million, and profit for the year from discontinued operations was 216% lower at R35.70 million.
Profit for the year was 62.2% lower at R40.57 million.
Telecommunications group lost R1.44, or 1.21%, to R117.96 and weakened 50 cents to R58.