The JSE lost ground in Wednesday, reflecting the poor sentiment on world equity markets.Weaker than expected manufacturing data in China, the world’s largest consumer of commodities, created a backdrop for investors to take some profits in resources shares, which have run hard of late.China’s official purchasing mangers’ index fell to 50.3 points in February, its lowest level in 18 months, from 51.3 January. Analysts said the data could have been skewed by seasonal factors, following the lunar new year celebrations.The resources index, which includes the likes of Anglo American and BHP, dropped 1.84%, leaving the all-share index down 1.04% at 58,414.60 points by lunchtime.The resources sector was also affected by a big drop in certain metal prices late on Tuesday. The platinum price was marginally lower on the day, at $981.61 an ounce, after having dropped nearly 2% overnight, due to a strong dollar environment.Financial stocks fell, along with retailers, signalling a loss of moment...
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