Johannesburg - Stocks retreated on Tuesday, dragged lower mainly by gold mining firms.
The benchmark JSE Top40 index slipped 0.78 percent to 44131.37 points, while the broader all share index declined 0.68 percent to 51146.05 points.
Bidvest was the biggest loser among the blue chips, extending losses to a five-month low after reporting a 4.4 percent rise in half-year profit on Monday and saying it had $1 billion (R13 billion) available for acquisitions. Its shares declined 5.08 percent to close at R155.02.
Gold mining companies were also weaker after the bullion price retreated from the three-and-a-half month highs it hit in the previous session.
Shares in AngloGold Ashanti were down 3.02 percent at R145.61, while Gold Fields shed 2.23 percent to R40.25.
Meanwhile, stocks on major world markets dipped as investors waited for signals on infrastructure spending and tax cuts in President Donald Trump’s Congressional address last night.
Wall Street indices fell slightly after US fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth was unchanged.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.05 percent to 20827.09 points, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 0.15 percent to 2366.17 points.