South African futures were weaker on Wednesday on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s budget, as well as a flat opening on Wall Street. Analysts were generally supportive of the budget considering the fiscal constraints Gordhan faced. "Treasury has done what it could, but the main solutions lie elsewhere in government," said Nedbank economist Dennis Dykes. The Dow was 0.03% lower in early evening trade ahead of the release of the US Federal Reserve’s minutes, which led to the Fed keeping rates unchanged at its January 31 meeting. The stronger dollar and relatively firm rand kept a lid on mining stocks on the JSE. Gold was flat at $1,236.36 an ounce. Platinum was just under $1,000 an ounce at $999.32. Brent crude dropped 1.20% to $55.98 a barrel in early evening trade. The all share closed 0.95% weaker at 52,088.60 and the blue-chip top 40 dropped 1.06%. Resources were 2.72% weaker and the gold index lost 2.28%. Food and drug retailers dropped 1.08% and general retailers shed 1.01%. Pl...
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