Miners boost S.Africa stocks; outlook hits Angloplat

(Reuters) - South African shares muscled to a record high on Thursday as a stronger gold price and Rio Tinto's bid for Alcan powered mining stocks but Anglo Platinum sank on a disappointing trading update.

The Johannesburg Top-40 index of blue-chip stocks rose 0.54 percent to 27,028.86 points, a historic closing peak, while the All-share index gained 0.49 percent to 29,789.95 points, also a record.


Read more at Reuters Africa

Impala Platinum to Help Mineworkers Purchase About 3 Percent of Stock

(Bloomberg) -- Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., the
world's second-biggest platinum producer, will help most workers
at its South African mines together buy about 3 percent of its
stock, valued at about 4.26 billion rand ($587 million).

The company, based in Johannesburg, has made ``capital
contributions of an amount sufficient to finance the
acquisition,'' it said today in an e-mailed statement. The deal
is part of Impala's ``empowerment and transformation
initiative.''


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

S.African stocks close higher, but rate jitters remain

(Reuters) - South African stocks posted slight gains on Tuesday as profit taking and speculation over an anticipated interest rate hike continued to dictate activity on the market.

The Johannesburg Top-40 index of blue chip stocks rose 0.12 percent to close at 25,965.94 points, while the All share index inched up 0.1 percent to close at 28,865.90 points.


Read more at Reuters Africa

South Africa's Main Union May Strike, Closing Platinum, Gold, Coal Mines

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa's biggest labor union,
the National Union of Mineworkers, said it plans to join a strike
by state employees in an action that may close the world's
biggest platinum and chrome mines.

The NUM, based in Johannesburg, has 280,000 members who also
work at some of the world's largest gold and coal operations as
well as in construction.


Read more at Bloomberg Emerging Markets News

S.African bonds extend losses, rand rangebound

(Reuters) - South African government bonds extended this week's heavy losses on Friday, with yields on the most-traded issue rising to near 8-month highs as an interest rate hike looked inevitable next week.

Yields on the government's R153 bond, due in 2010, reached 8.545 percent earlier in Johannesburg trade -- levels last visited in late October last year. They later settled at 8.525 percent, 11 basis points higher than Thursday's closing levels.


Read more at Reuters Africa