The JSE opened weaker on Friday ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president on mixed Asian markets and as the Dow closed lower for a fifth consecutive session. Markets remained apprehensive ahead of more clarity on Trump’s policies and the strong run after his election in November seems to have hit a snag. "Traders were taking a cautious stance ahead of Trump’s inauguration later today as the Dow closed at its lowest level in more than a month," Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) analysts said. The Dow lost 0.37% to 19,732.40 points on Thursday. The Nikkei gained 0.34% and the Hang Seng lost 0.55%. The dollar remained under pressure on Friday morning, boosting the gold price. It was up 0.23% to $1,207.31 in early morning trade. European markets were weaker on Thursday, but off their worst levels after the European Central Bank (ECB) reaffirmed its December decision to continue to buy €80bn of assets a month until March 2017 and €60bn between April and December. ...
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