(Bloomberg) --
South Africa’s main stock index slipped 0.3% on Friday as renewed concern among investors about the coronavirus weakened the appetite for risk assets and caused a pause in the global equities rally.
The FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index retreated from Thursday’s record close, narrowing its advance since Monday to 0.7%. The benchmark still extended its run of weekly gains to four, the longest in eight months.
Diversified global mining giants BHP Group Plc and Anglo American Plc weighed heaviest on the market as most metal prices declined in the risk-off sentiment. Both stocks fell 1.4%.
Bank stocks dragged the benchmark lower as the rand declined along with other emerging-market currencies, and a day after South Africa’s central bank left its key lending rate unchanged.
Standard Bank Group Ltd. fell 3.2%, Nedbank Group Ltd. slid 3.2% and Absa Group Ltd. dropped 2.9%. The sector index slumped the most in a month, falling 2.7%.
Mr Price Group Ltd. gained 1.5% in a positive reaction to the retailer’s trading update. An index of South African general retailers edged 0.5% higher.
Global tech investor and benchmark behemoth Naspers Ltd. provided the most support to the overall market, climbing 1.8% to a record high as partly owned Chinese online giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. climbed for a third day in Hong Kong to a fresh-all time closing high. Prosus NV, which holds Naspers’s 31% stake in Tencent, gained 3.3%.
Global luxury retailer Richemont also boosted the main index, gaining 2.2% at the end of a week in which it reported a surge in Chinese sales.
You want more news on this market? Click here for a curated First Word channel of actionable news from Bloomberg and select sources. It can be customized to your preferences by clicking into Actions on the toolbar or hitting the HELP key for assistance.
Últimas Noticias
Debanhi Escobar: they secured the motel where she was found lifeless in a cistern
Members of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Nuevo León secured the Nueva Castilla Motel as part of the investigations into the case

The oldest person in the world died at the age of 119
Kane Tanaka lived in Japan. She was born six months earlier than George Orwell, the same year that the Wright brothers first flew, and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize

Macabre find in CDMX: they left a body bagged and tied in a taxi
The body was left in the back seats of the car. It was covered with black bags and tied with industrial tape
The eagles of America will face Manchester City in a duel of legends. Here are the details
The top Mexican football champion will play a match with Pep Guardiola's squad in the Lone Star Cup

Why is it good to bring dogs out to know the world when they are puppies
A so-called protection against the spread of diseases threatens the integral development of dogs


