Johannesburg - A global sell off saw the JSE end
311 points weaker on Monday, with resources and a weak Dow adding pressure.
At 17:00, the JSE all share index had fallen 1.24%, with resources
shedding 2.30%. Platinum miners weakened 0.80% and gold miners eased 0.20%.
Banks collected 0.33% and financials were up 0.36%, but industrials were
off 0.90%.
The rand was bid at 7.78 to the dollar, from 7.73 when the JSE closed on
Friday. Gold was quoted at US$950.38 a troy ounce from US$957.85/oz at the
JSE's last close, and platinum was at US$1 240/oz, from US$1 244/oz at its
previous close.
"We have been in the red for the whole day. It all started in the East.
Chinese banks are applying stricter lending requirements and that impacted
on the Shanghai composite," a local trader said.
"That is where most of this negativity comes from. Resources are leading
us down. Our main market is China, if demand from China isn't so good then
our resource companies are not going to do so well," he said.
Dow Jones Newswires reported that US investors were on the defensive on
Monday morning following a big sell off in China's stock market.
The DJIA was recently down 78 points at 9455. The Nasdaq Composite Index
was down 1.4%.
The S&P 500 was off 1.2%, hurt by declines in all its sectors.
Healthcare and consumer staples - the index's two traditional safe-haven
sectors - have been the most unscathed, briefly posting gains before
slipping into the red in recent action.
Economic jitters have lingered despite a solid market performance that
has pushed major US indices to new highs. Investors are increasingly hungry
to see data showing actual improvement in the global economy, not just a
slowing contraction. Those hopes will be tested again this week by a flurry
of key releases, including widely anticipated US jobs data due on Friday.
"The key thing right now is that the consumer probably isn't dead, but
he is severely injured," said strategist Stephen P Wood, of Russell
Investments. "In that environment, the global economy is going to be growing
at a much less brisk pace for some time."
On Monday, a glum tone carried through the opening bell in New York
after China's benchmark stock index, the Shanghai Composite, fell 6.7% to
2667.75, its lowest finish since May. Fears about an overhang of new stock
issues in the Chinese market added to concerns over tightening credit.
The
volatile market, which is mostly closed to international investors, has
given back nearly a quarter of its value since it peaked on August 4.
When the JSE closed, the DJIA was last off 0.69%.
- I-Net Bridge