The JSE cooled on Friday, ending off a largely positive week on a down note.
The rand steadied against the dollar, trading at R11.85 against the greenback, at the close of the market.
The All Share Index edged 0.12% lower while the blue-chip Top 40 eased by 0.02%, dragged lower by financials and resources.
Woolworths gained 4.64% to trade at R67.25, recovering slightly after the retail group conceded to the disappointing performance of Australian acquisition, David Jones, by writing down R7 billion of its value.
The write-down indicated to the market that Woolworths admits that it overpaid for the Australian retailer.
Naspers [JSE:NPN] firmed 0.47% pulled along by its Chinese investment, Tencent which gained 2.88% in Hong Kong.
The Hang Seng closed 1.53% higher on strengthening banking stocks
Data released today indicated that the US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.6 percent in the final quarter of 2017, finishing off the year on a firm footing
Combined with a sinking jobless rate, a surging stock market and a sunny outlook, the American economy’s performance has also been buoyed by simultaneous growth in nations around the world, which has fuelled trade and enabled foreign consumers to buy more American-made products.
The dollar index firmed this morning following comments from President Trump. "The dollar is going to get stronger and stronger, and ultimately, I want to see a strong dollar," he said at the WEF.
The greenback had slipped to three-year lows earlier in the week after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a "weaker dollar is good for trade."
The dollar’s rebound sent commodities prices down Thursday afternoon. Oil, which had hit fresh three-year highs, traded down by 0.10% to $70.35