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Johannesburg - South African shares edged lower on Monday after the rand weakened more than 2 percent, hitting retailers reliant on dollar-denominated imports such as Mr Price, but rewarding exporters producing in the local currency.
Investors also punished AVI, a consumer foods maker that also sells designer brands such as Kurt Geiger and Carvela shoes, pushing it 7.3% lower to R56.45.
The rand tumbled to a 3-1/2 year low on Monday, losing as much as 2.4% to a low of 8.9950 per dollar, just shy of a key psychological level at 9.
"All the retailers that are importing are getting knocked down quite aggressively whereas all the rand hedges that are producing in rand and exporting in dollars are up today," said Robert Towell, a senior portfolio manager at Consilium Capital.
The Top 40 - (Tradeable) [JSE:J200] index shaved off 0.55% to 32 183.45 while the All Share [JSE:J203] lost 0.69% to 36 337.39.
Clothing and home goods seller Mr Price plummeted 9% to R116. Grocers Pick n Pay and Shoprite lost over 4% to R41.95 and R157.62 respectively.
BofA Merrill Lynch on Monday dropped cut its rating on South Africa's consumer firms to neutral from overweight. The sector has been popular with foreign investors despite local analysts' protests that it was overvalued.
"We put the long-loved SA consumer theme on neutral," the brokerage said.
"Throw in the negative South Africa specific strike headlines and we find the case for near term outperformance to have largely disappeared."
Mining firms, which are reeling from a series of wildcat strikes that started in the platinum sector and spread to other companies and beyond the industry, recovered marginally.
Some 75 000 miners have downed tools, pushing precious metal prices higher.
Gold miners gained nearly 2% with South Africa's third-largest producer Harmony up 3% at R69.56.
Impala Platinum added 2.7% to R143.82 and Anglo American Platinum gained over 1% to R403, despite purging 12 000 wildcat strikers from its payroll on Friday.
Steelmaker Arcelor Mittal ended trade 1.8% stronger at R40.44, minutes before it announced that a supplier, Sishen Iron Ore Company, had declared a force majeure because of an illegal strike.
Trade was robust with over 193.5 million shares changing ownership. Share prices of 182 companies lost value while those of another 101 were stronger.
Investors also punished AVI, a consumer foods maker that also sells designer brands such as Kurt Geiger and Carvela shoes, pushing it 7.3% lower to R56.45.
The rand tumbled to a 3-1/2 year low on Monday, losing as much as 2.4% to a low of 8.9950 per dollar, just shy of a key psychological level at 9.
"All the retailers that are importing are getting knocked down quite aggressively whereas all the rand hedges that are producing in rand and exporting in dollars are up today," said Robert Towell, a senior portfolio manager at Consilium Capital.
The Top 40 - (Tradeable) [JSE:J200] index shaved off 0.55% to 32 183.45 while the All Share [JSE:J203] lost 0.69% to 36 337.39.
Clothing and home goods seller Mr Price plummeted 9% to R116. Grocers Pick n Pay and Shoprite lost over 4% to R41.95 and R157.62 respectively.
BofA Merrill Lynch on Monday dropped cut its rating on South Africa's consumer firms to neutral from overweight. The sector has been popular with foreign investors despite local analysts' protests that it was overvalued.
"We put the long-loved SA consumer theme on neutral," the brokerage said.
"Throw in the negative South Africa specific strike headlines and we find the case for near term outperformance to have largely disappeared."
Mining firms, which are reeling from a series of wildcat strikes that started in the platinum sector and spread to other companies and beyond the industry, recovered marginally.
Some 75 000 miners have downed tools, pushing precious metal prices higher.
Gold miners gained nearly 2% with South Africa's third-largest producer Harmony up 3% at R69.56.
Impala Platinum added 2.7% to R143.82 and Anglo American Platinum gained over 1% to R403, despite purging 12 000 wildcat strikers from its payroll on Friday.
Steelmaker Arcelor Mittal ended trade 1.8% stronger at R40.44, minutes before it announced that a supplier, Sishen Iron Ore Company, had declared a force majeure because of an illegal strike.
Trade was robust with over 193.5 million shares changing ownership. Share prices of 182 companies lost value while those of another 101 were stronger.
