Share

JSE softens on stronger rand, while strong retail data surprises

Cape Town – The JSE edged lower on Wednesday in line with global markets as investors awaited clarity on the Federal Reserve’s open market committee meeting to conclude. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) are expected to announce their interest rate decision on Wednesday evening.

Financials edged higher as the rand strengthened 1.20% and traded at R12.62 against the dollar on the back of weak inflation data from the United States. The US dollar slipped as CPI data came in lower than expected, missing estimates of 2.0% with a preliminary 1.9% year-on-year reading.     

The rand was aided by retail sales growth data for April which surprised to the upside. Annual retail sales growth accelerated to 1.5%, higher than the market’s expectation of 0.6%. The rise was driven by strong growth in ‘general dealer’ and ‘food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores’ categories. 

The stronger data improved the standing of the rand, and led to positive moves on food retailers with Shoprite [JSE:SHP] gaining 3.12% and closing at R201.11.

All the other retail categories recorded contractions, with the ‘textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods’ down for the fourth consecutive month. 

The implication of a stronger rand is encouraging for local consumption, as general conditions in domestic spending have been weak.  A stronger rand relieves inflationary pressure on prices, easing the interest rate outlook by the South African Reserve Bank. 

The stronger rand does not suit the many dual-listed shares on the JSE, and the blue-chip Top 40 fell 0.40%, followed by the JSE All Share which dropped 0.26%. Financials gained 0.37% while Industrials fell 0.18%, and resources slipped 1.33%.

The US bond market's gauges on inflation expectations fell on Wednesday to their lowest since November as data on consumer prices unexpectedly fell in May, feeding concerns that inflation would fall short of the Federal Reserve's 2% goal for longer than previously thought.

Gold gained 0.83% and traded at $1 275/oz at the close of local markets. The strength was due to the lower inflation data in the US, which highlights uncertainty about the trajectory of the US economy given low wage growth and subdued GDP figures this year.

Brent Crude fell off sharply, with a 3.72% drop to $46.91/bbl on Wednesday following US data showing an unexpectedly large weekly build in gasoline inventories and International Energy Agency (IEA) data projecting an increase in non-OPEC production. It is expected that the United States, Canada, Brazil and a host of other oil producers will out supply the cuts enforced by OPEC – further exacerbating the global oil glut. 

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATE: Get Fin24's top morning business news and opinions in your inbox.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders