BUSINESS NEWS - South African shares firmed on Friday, supported by resources stocks lifted by better than expected Chinese trade data, while the rand slipped in cautious trading ahead of a weekend speech by the leader of the ruling African National Congress party.
The rand was down 0.18% at R12.4150 to the dollar by 1552 GMT, on course for a weekly decline of about 1%.
The benchmark Top-40 index, meanwhile, rose 0.9% to 53,296 points, while the All-Share index was up 0.8% at 60,083.
Resource shares benefited from the Chinese trade data, with BHP Billiton rising 2.9% to R279.59 and Anglo American up 1.5% at R298.08.
Despite a slowdown in China’s December trade data, the overall picture for 2017 was one of strong global appetite for Chinese products, with exports beating analyst forecasts, up 10.9% from a year earlier.
Resources boost SA stocks
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