Johannesburg - The JSE lifted to within a whisker of its
record peak on the all share index at the opening on Thursday‚ amid positive
global sentiment.
At 9:41pm‚ the All Share [JSE:J203] index was up 0.82% to
37‚746.94 points‚ with the Top 40 - (Tradeable) [JSE:J200] index gaining 0.89%
to 33‚522.74. Gold stocks surged 3.96%.
“It is a reverse in global sentiment after equities sold off
on Wednesday on fear about the US fiscal cliff‚” Sasfin Securities director
David Shapiro said.
The latest optimism was fuelled by John Boehner‚ the House
Speaker and effective Republican leader in the negotiations‚ when he expressed
optimism on Wednesday that a deal on the US fiscal cliff of spending cuts and
tax increases could be reached‚ RMB analysts said.
Asian markets were broadly firmer on Thursday‚ with Japan’s
Nikkei 225 up 0.99%.