Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) continued its gains on Thursday, in line with the emerging markets in the world and following the dovish sentiment by the U.S. not to hike repo rates.

The local currency, which was traded at R13.07 on Wednesday, at close of session stood at R13.01 to the U.S. dollar.

The resources index gained 1.11 percent, assisting the all share to edge up marginally 0.1 percent to 54,888.89 points at close. The blue-chip top 40 index gained 0.01 percent to 48,569.42 points.

The resource sector also drew support from higher commodity prices, which came as a result of a weaker dollar.

In the top 40 index, Anglo American was up 3.01 percent to R208.36 with Gold Fields rising 3.28 percent to R51.99. Kumba Iron Ore which, earlier in the week, decided to return cash to shareholders for the first time since 2015 added 2.24 percent to R198.7.

AB InBev was up 6.87 percent to R1,605.05, with industrial group Barloworld gaining 4.98 percent to R120.98.
Banking stocks were also well supported thanks to a stronger rand, with Standard Bank gaining 2.52 percent to R163.12.

MTN was off 6.77 percent to R118.62 while Intu Properties shed 3.99 percent to R45.51 following its interim results, in which it reported a slight drop in its net rental income on a like-for-like basis.