S.African stocks closes weaker in line with global markets

Trading on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) eased on Tuesday, the all share closed 0.64 percent lower with 0.7 percent losses in resources weighing on the local bourse. Gold miners however gained 0.58 percent.

The South African rand was trading at R13.43 to the U.S. dollar, R16.62 to the British pound and R14.4 to the euro at 5:00 p.m. (CAT).

UK-focused stocks such as Capital & Counties, Brait and Intu were broadly steady after British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit speech in the afternoon.

Gold stocks were in the sweet spot, thanks to gold price which rallied beyond the 1,200 U.S. dollars per ounce to 1,216.76 U.S. dollars per ounce, its best level since November. The gold price benefited partly from a weaker U.S. dollar.

Anglo American was off 1.78 percent at R220.74 and BHP Billiton fell 0.65 percent to R241.3.

AngloGold Ashanti was up 1.31 percent at R170.5 and Harmony Gold 3.28 percent at R34.98.

Mr Price Group (MRP) was amongst the biggest movers downwards today, after the release of a trading update for the third quarter last year.

Mr Price fell 4.79 percent to R156, and Steinhoff lost 1.42 percent to R71.9.

Capital & Counties Properties was top gainer in the real estate sector. CCO shares rose 5.64 percent to sell at R47.01. This followed a SENS announcement on Monday which notified investors that Norges Bank's shares in the company decreased below 8 percent. Endit