Major indices on the JSE reached fresh all-time highs in today’s session as the local bourse took a leaf from the earlier rally in Asian indices.

The ALSI futures reached a new all-time high of 54 689 points whilst the broader All-Share Index reached a new high of 60 589.77 points.

Major movers higher included Mr Price [JSE:MRP] which jumped 8.61% on the back of a trading statement which was released this morning. The trading statement indicated that they are expecting headline earnings per share and earnings per share for the 26 weeks ended 30September 2017 to be up by between 20% and 25%.

Sasol [JSE:SOL] firmed on the back of higher Brent Crude prices and a weaker Rand, which saw the stock gaining 2.67% on the day. Naspers [JSE:NPN] continued on its strong rally as it closed up 2.57%. This move higher was supported by Tencent Holdings [HKG:0700] which closed up 3.71% on the Hang Seng today. PPC Ltd [JSE:PPC] had a decent run on the back of positive trading statement which indicated that they expecting increases in headline earnings per share to be up by between 30% and 40%, whilst basic earnings per share are expected to increase by 45% and 60%. The share closed at R7.22 per share, up 1.40% on the day.

On the losers side EOH Holdings [JSE:EOH] and Brait [JSE:BAT] traded under pressure to eventually close the day down 3.91% and 4.17% respectively. Sun International [JSE:SUI] and Sappi [JSE:SAP] also faced headwinds in today’s session as they closed 2.85% and 3.07% weaker respectively.

The JSE Top-40 Index closed 0.50% firmer whilst the JSE All-Share Index gained 0.35%. The Industrials Index firmed by 0.77% whilst the Resources Index gained 0.18%. The Financials Index came under pressure and shed 0.26%.

Gold was softer in today’s session and when the JSE closed it was trading at $1275.91/Oz. However some of the gold miners on the JSE had a decent run as the Rand price of the precious metal increased due to the weaker local currency. AngloGold Ashanti [JSE:ANG] and Gold Fields [JSE:GFI] firmed by 3.59%, 1.45% respectively, but Harmony Gold [JSE:HAR] slid into the close to and closed 0.32% weaker.

Platinum traded weaker as it reached an intra-day low of $920.48/Oz. This put platinum miners on the JSE under pressure as Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS] gave up some of yesterday’s gains to close the day down 2.39%, whilst Impala Platinum [JSE:IMP] shed 1.94%. Palladium tried to rally earlier on but it subsequently lost momentum to reach an intra-day low of $995.03/Oz.

Brent Crude jumped above $64 per barrel to peak at an intra-day high of $64.65 per barrel. The sentiment around Brent Crude is increasingly bearish as both OPEC and non-OPEC members have come out over the past week in support of extending production cuts. When the JSE closed Brent Crude was recorded at $63.71 per barrel.