by Stanley Karombo
JOHANNESBURG, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Share prices on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) drifted lower on Friday at close, pulled down by negative global sentiment.
The all share index was down 0.74 percent at 51,900.26 points, while the blue-chop top 40 index was 0.72 percent lower at 45,670.49 points.
Financial shares continued to decline on Friday, losing 0.87 percent at close. All the major banking and insurance shares were also substantially down. The industrial index was 0.56 percent lower and the resources index, which gained more than 5 percent over the previous seven days, lost 0.96 percent.
The South African rand firmed at R13.36 against the U.S. dollar after the release of better than expected U.S. jobs data. The weaker currency failed, as it normally does, to assist the dual-listed shares on the JSE.
Among some individual stocks on the JSE, African Rainbow Minerals was off 3.63 percent at R79.7, with AngloGold Ashanti losing 3.82 percent to R127.24 and Impala Platinum dropping 2.76 percent to R36.61.
British American Tobacco was traded 0.4 percent firmer at R905.06, and Naspers shed 0.77 percent of its value to R2,474.71.
Barclays Africa fell 2.17 percent to R139.29 and Nedbank dropped 1.88 percent to R205.98.
Following a broker downgrade, Woolworths was off 2.94 percent to R60.47.
MTN was down 1.49 percent to R115.75 while investment group Remgro shed 1.92 percent to R211.1. Private equity group Brait dropped 1.95 percent to R60.84.
The top insurers also traded lower with Old Mutual losing 0.9 percent to R32.9. Sanlam was 1.06 percent weaker at R66.39 and MMI Holdings declined 1.42 percent to R20.13. Enditem
