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Johannesburg - The JSE ended firmer on Thursday, with gold counters leading the upside and global markets adding to the upbeat spirit.
At its close, the All Share [JSE:J203] rose 1.38%, with gold counters jumping 4.10%, platinum miners rising 1.36% and resources collecting 1.51%.
Industrials gained 1.40%, financials picked up 0.63% and banks firmed 0.75%.
The rand was bid at 6.8655 to the dollar from 6.9414 at the JSE's close on Wednesday.
Gold was quoted at US$1 446.53 a troy ounce from US$1 440.27/oz at the JSE's previous close, while platinum was at $1 765.00/oz from $1 748.00/oz before.
According to Dow Jones Newswires, spot gold surged to a new record on Thursday amid heightened fears on sovereign debt troubles in Europe and ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
The yellow metal's spot price jumped to a peak of $1 447.70 a troy ounce at 14:54 GMT, up 0.7% on the day.
Spot gold's earlier record of $1 445.05/oz had been set on March 7.
"It's broad-based buying at the moment, our market is up 1% and I think that really followed on from the Asian session, with the majority of those Asian markets trading firmer and the Australian market up 1%," said Andrew Todd, an equity derivatives trader at Imara SP Reid.
"We are seeing the Dow currently up 40 points and I think that's also adding to positive sentiment. Commodity prices have also ticked up, which I think has helped the resource stocks, but the main feature on the day is the gold stocks, with Harmony leading the upside with a big gain of over 10%," he added.
"There was a broker upgrade, and also a rumour of a potential takeout on Harmony. I'm not sure how true that is - we often see these things surface and normally take them with a pinch of salt. We'll just have to wait and see," he said.
Dow Jones Newswires reported that US stocks gained on Thursday as encouraging earnings boosted the US market and investors appeared unfazed by the deepening political crisis in Portugal.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 45 points, or 0.4%, to 12 131, led by a 1.2% rise in aluminium company Alcoa.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 2 712. The S&P 500 index added 0.3% to 1 302, led by its technology and telecommunication sectors.
Meanwhile, turmoil continued in the Middle East and north Africa, sending crude-oil prices briefly above US$106 a barrel.
Offsetting some of the political turmoil, however, data from Europe showed the euro zone's economic recovery slowed in March, according to a survey of purchasing managers.
European stock markets were largely higher. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was up 0.8%.
At its close, the All Share [JSE:J203] rose 1.38%, with gold counters jumping 4.10%, platinum miners rising 1.36% and resources collecting 1.51%.
Industrials gained 1.40%, financials picked up 0.63% and banks firmed 0.75%.
The rand was bid at 6.8655 to the dollar from 6.9414 at the JSE's close on Wednesday.
Gold was quoted at US$1 446.53 a troy ounce from US$1 440.27/oz at the JSE's previous close, while platinum was at $1 765.00/oz from $1 748.00/oz before.
According to Dow Jones Newswires, spot gold surged to a new record on Thursday amid heightened fears on sovereign debt troubles in Europe and ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
The yellow metal's spot price jumped to a peak of $1 447.70 a troy ounce at 14:54 GMT, up 0.7% on the day.
Spot gold's earlier record of $1 445.05/oz had been set on March 7.
"It's broad-based buying at the moment, our market is up 1% and I think that really followed on from the Asian session, with the majority of those Asian markets trading firmer and the Australian market up 1%," said Andrew Todd, an equity derivatives trader at Imara SP Reid.
"We are seeing the Dow currently up 40 points and I think that's also adding to positive sentiment. Commodity prices have also ticked up, which I think has helped the resource stocks, but the main feature on the day is the gold stocks, with Harmony leading the upside with a big gain of over 10%," he added.
"There was a broker upgrade, and also a rumour of a potential takeout on Harmony. I'm not sure how true that is - we often see these things surface and normally take them with a pinch of salt. We'll just have to wait and see," he said.
Dow Jones Newswires reported that US stocks gained on Thursday as encouraging earnings boosted the US market and investors appeared unfazed by the deepening political crisis in Portugal.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 45 points, or 0.4%, to 12 131, led by a 1.2% rise in aluminium company Alcoa.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.5% to 2 712. The S&P 500 index added 0.3% to 1 302, led by its technology and telecommunication sectors.
Meanwhile, turmoil continued in the Middle East and north Africa, sending crude-oil prices briefly above US$106 a barrel.
Offsetting some of the political turmoil, however, data from Europe showed the euro zone's economic recovery slowed in March, according to a survey of purchasing managers.
European stock markets were largely higher. The Stoxx Europe 600 index was up 0.8%.
