JSE opens in the red despite surge in international markets
Choppy rand affects banks negatively as Naspers loses ground while retailers slip ahead of August sales data
The JSE opened weaker on Wednesday, just holding above 53,000 points, despite strong performances from global markets on Tuesday. Mediclinic was an early casualty on a disappointing trading update, plummeting nearly 20%, while Naspers was on the back foot again after closing higher on Tuesday. The Dow gained 2.17% on Tuesday on upbeat third-quarter company results, mainly from financial institutions. Asian markets rose on Wednesday, with the Nikkei 225 lifting 1.29% and the Shanghai Composite 0.6%. The Hang Seng was closed. European markets were slightly higher despite analysts having little hope for a breakthrough on Brexit at the EU summit set to start on Wednesday. Earlier strength in the rand failed to support banks and financials, with retail stocks trending lower ahead of the release of August sales growth data later in the day. It is expected to come in at 0.5% from 1.3% in the previous month, with analysts expecting the sector to remain lacklustre for the rest of the year. T...
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