SA stocks end week lower, Aspen tumbles

Johannesburg - South African stocks fell on Friday, dragged down by drug-maker Aspen [JSE:APN], after its shares fell when GlaxoSmithKline slashed its stake in the Durban-based firm.

Aspen was the second-worst performer on the benchmark Top-40 index, slipping 4.4% to R388.50, after GSK sold some of its shares at a discount.

"We saw Aspen move sharply lower after GSK halved its shareholding, the market is reading this as quite negative," said Nilan Morar, head of trading at Global Trader.