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JSE surges to near record close

Johannesburg - South African stocks surged 1.7% on Thursday, putting the benchmark Top 40 index within shouting distance of a record close, as investors continued to bet resource companies like Anglo American had fallen too far this year.

Petrochemicals firm Sasol gained almost 4% after it said it expects full-year earnings to increase by up to 30%, helped by higher production volumes.

"We are still seeing a good recovery in the very depressed metals markets," said Ferdi Heyneke, a portfolio manager at Afrifocus Securities.

"Because of all the negative sentiment related to labour issues those share prices have really been under tremendous pressure and the market is now realising that they have been overly discounted."

The benchmark Top 40 - (Tradeable) [JSE:J200]rose 1.71% to 37 473.94, its third-highest close on record. The broader All Share [JSE:J203] index gained 1.49 percent to 41 909.39.

Impala Platinum, the world's second-largest producer of platinum, was the top percentage gainer on the blue-chip index, advancing 4.6% to R101.54 while resources group Anglo added 4.1% to R222.16.

Shares of gold miner AngloGold Ashanti rose 1% to R129.69 after South Africa's largest gold producer said its Tropicana project in Australia has been commissioned ahead of schedule and will begin producing gold in the third quarter.

Resources stocks have been hammered by soaring costs and labour unrest, sending their shares into a tail-spin this year.

AngloGold Ashanti is the worst performer on the Top 40 this year, down more than 50%. Impala Platinum has given up 40% this year, while Anglo American has lost 15% of its value.

More than 150 million shares changed hands, according to preliminary bourse data. Advancers outnumbered decliners at 185 to 107, with 58 stocks unchanged.

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Rand - Dollar
18.92
+0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.88
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.37
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.1%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
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