The South African share market was weaker at lunchtime on Thursday, lagging behind its peers in Europe. The market did, however, come off its weaker earlier levels, thanks to a slightly softer rand, which benefited a handful of big industrial stocks. The all share was off 0.26% to 55,336.80 points soon after midday, its weakest level in three weeks. Markets also kept an eye on corporate earnings, which influenced individual stocks. FirstRand and Sanlam provided the highlights among the blue-chip companies reporting results on the day. The overall trading environment continued to be affected by geopolitical tension, according to Momentum SP Reid Securities analysts, who said monetary policy concern also played a part. The outcome of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) policy meeting would be closely watched this afternoon. "The crucial question facing the ECB is whether [president] Mario Draghi will announce the date of cutting bond purchases," said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategi...
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