Asian markets are pointing towards a lower opening for the JSE on Thursday, which is set to be another busy day for the local bourse in terms of company results. At least four top-40 counters are due to report, including Standard Bank Group, MTN, Sanlam and Aspen Pharmacare. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was 0.5% lower at the lunch break, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index was 0.8% down. After a three-day rally, Naspers’s associate company, Tencent, was 1.2% lower in Hong Kong, suggesting that Africa’s largest public company will open in the red. Similarly, JSE-heavyweight BHP Group was 0.7% down in Australia. MTN, whose shares have declined for eight consecutive days, is set to report its 2018 numbers early on Thursday. A week ago, the mobile operator disappointed the market by saying its headline earnings per share (HEPS) in the year ended December would be between 80% and 90% higher than in 2017. Analysts had expected a higher increase, given that the numbers were coming off a low base...
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