The JSE opened lower on Thursday in quiet trade on weaker US and Asian markets, as the market awaited the Reserve Bank’s interest-rate decision later in the day. Although no change in rates is expected, the monetary policy statement could provide further clues on the Bank’s views on inflation. The Dow closed 0.27% lower at 23,526.18 points on Wednesday in lacklustre trade ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday in the US. Asian markets were mixed, taking their cue from an unconvincing close on Wall Street. The Shanghai Composite dropped 2.29% and the Hang Seng 0.59%. The Nikkei 225 was closed for the Labour Day holiday in Japan The market is eyeing the release of minutes from the European Central Bank (ECB) later in the day. The ECB extended its asset purchase programme by nine months at the last meeting. Oanda analyst Craig Erlam did not expect the minutes to be very illuminating. "There’s unlikely to be significant clues about the ECB’s next step." Minutes from the US Federal Res...
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