Johannesburg - Stocks inched up on Wednesday, lifted mainly by platinum producers.
The benchmark JSE Top40 index climbed 0.42 percent to 45404.69 points, while the all share index gained 0.26 percent to 52444.78 points.
Among the gainers, platinum firms Lonmin and Royal Bafokeng Platinum gained 0.49 percent to R14.50 and 0.67 percent to R33.25, respectively on higher platinum prices.
Meanwhile, BHP Billiton increased 2.2 percent to close at R202.58.
The banking index, however, bucked the trend, falling 2.45 percent with investors in a wait-and-see mode.
Meanwhile, stocks edged up on Wall Street yesterday afternoon, not enough to lift a global equities index.
Gains in the energy sector, up more than 1 percent, kept the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) afloat, while none of the other 10 sectors moved more than a half a percent up or down.
Wall Street rose with the Dow Jones industrial average snapping an eight-day losing streak after a jump in consumer data boosted hopes in a stronger US economy.
The Dow had fallen 67.89 points, or 0.33 percent, to 20633.61, the S&P 500 lost 1.65 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2356.92 points and the Nasdaq Composite added 5.01 points, or 0.09 percent, to 5880.15 points.
European shares rose with little reaction to formal announcement of Britain’s intention to leave the EU.