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Johannesburg - South African stocks ended flat on Thursday with gains made by platinum companies offset by energy stocks suffering from weaker oil prices such as petrochemicals firm Sasol [JSE:SOL].
Shares in the blue-chip heavyweight Sasol fell 3.9% to R450.54, making it the biggest decliner on the benchmark Top-40 index.
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The petrochemicals company often tracks the price of oil because it sells its synthetic fuel at the same price as firms that import and refine crude oil.
"A lot of people might have been spooked by the fact that yesterday's crude oil inventory from the US was lower than expected. The volatility in the oil price is what is driving Sasol," said Kyle Dutton, a broker at Mercato Financial Services.
The JSE Top-40 index barely moved, adding 0.09% to 45 450. The broader All-share index was up 0.11%at 51 688.
On the upside, shares in platinum producers jumped with Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS] and Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] leading gains by 4.38% and 3.8% respectively.
Trade was active with 211 million shares changing hands, compared to last year's daily average of 185 million shares.
