Stocks ended in the red on Thursday, dragged lower by Wall Street which fell on the back of worse-than-expected unemployment data in the US.

By 4.52pm the JSE all share index had lost 2.36 percent, with resources down 4.27 percent. Gold counters were off 4.04 percent and platinum miners had given up 3.34 percent.

Banks were off 2.29 percent, financials lost 1.23 percent and industrials weakened 0.76 percent.

Due to a problem with the JSE's feed, by 5.35pm indices had not updated to the close.

The rand was 7.82 to the dollar from 7.73 when the JSE closed on Wednesday. Gold was quoted at $930.41/oz a troy ounce from $938.20/oz at the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1189.50/oz, from $1198.50/oz at its previous close.

"Initially we moved down on weaker Eastern markets and profit taking. Then as the day progressed, we saw worse-than-expected unemployment data in the US which pulled the Dow lower," a local trader said.

"Unemployment, which is a leading economic indicator, is still a problem.

"The dollar is also strong against the euro and that has put commodity prices under some pressure. Resources are leading us down and so are these gold stocks," he said.

"General retailers are holding up quite well. The are some companies that are benefiting from the weak rand," he added.

Dow Jones Newswires reports that a surprisingly weak jobs report roiled US financial markets on Thursday as traders' already sagging hopes for a second-half global economic rebound ebbed a little more.

US stocks and commodities sank while Treasury prices and the dollar crept higher. The currency was helped against the euro after the European Central Bank decided to hold steady on interest rates. Many traders believe the central bank should be acting more aggressively to prop up the European economy, perhaps cutting its rate near zero as the Federal Reserve has in the US.

The week's most eagerly anticipated report regarding the US economy was a stark letdown. The Labour Department said that non-farm payrolls shed 467 000 jobs in June, a considerably greater decline than the 350,000 economists in a Dow Jones Newswires survey had expected.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, continued to creep toward double digits, rising 0.1 percentage point to 9.5 percent, its highest level in more than 25 years. Wages remained stagnant from the previous month.

It was particularly troubling to investors to see the unemployment rate creep closer to the psychologically important 10 percent level, said Chris Johnson, chief executive of Johnson Research Group, a trading and analysis firm in Cincinnati.

"Once we get to that level, it's just a Pandora's box," said Johnson, who pointed out that the recent government stress tests of financial firms assumed a high of 10.2 percent unemployment for the recession. "Once you get over 10 on that number, it's going to hurt people's sentiment about the market in general, and you'll have them taking a second look at the banks again in particular."

When the local market closed, the DJIA was last down 1.87 percent.

On the JSE, Anglo American lost 5.42 percent to 221.25 rand and BHP Billiton declined 4.75 percent to 174.30 rand.

Petrochemicals group Sasol was down 2.68 percent to 278.50 rand.

ArcelorMittal weakened 1.56 percent to 95.49 rand.

Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti gave up 3.26 percent to 282.95 rand, Gold Fields was off 3.86 percent to 93.01 rand and Harmony weakened 5.06 percent to 75 rand.

Platinum miner Anglo Platinum fell 4.99 percent to 530.15 rand, Impala Platinum lost 2.65 percent to 168.90 rand and Lonmin declined 3.82 percent to 151 rand.

In diversified miners, African Rainbow lost 2.21 percent to 129 rand.

Elsewhere on the JSE, brewer SABMiller gave up 1.46 percent to 161.60 rand, Imperial was off 1.67 percent to 59 rand and Barloworld lost 2.50 percent to 38.95 rand.

Banking group Standard Bank was down 1.67 percent to 88.30 rand, Nedbank lost 3.68 percent to 98.10 rand, Absa shed 2.47 percent to 108.55 rand and FirstRand weakened three percent to 13.92 rand.

Media group Naspers firmed 1.27 percent to 208.75 rand and Avusa collected 1.25 percent to 20.25 rand.

Among retailers, Shoprite gained 2.73 percent to 56.81 rand while Steinhoff declined 3.15 percent to 13.52 rand.

Liberty International shed 3.41 percent to 51 rand.

Construction group Murray & Roberts was down 2.84 percent to 49 rand.

Packaging group Nampak weakened 1.21 percent to 14.75 rand.

Hosken Consolidated Investments gained 6.52 percent to 49 rand. It earlier announced the concluded acquisition of the Caledon Casino, Hotel and Spa and Century Casino Newcastle by its 38 percent held subsidiary, Tsogo Sun Gaming.

Tsogo Sun Gaming assumed operational control of the casinos with effect from 30 June with Caledon Casino, Hotel, Spa operational in the Western Cape, and Century Casino Newcastle located in KwaZulu-Natal.

Among telecommunications groups, MTN Group was unchanged at 119 rand, Telkom fell 2.56 percent to 40 rand and Vodacom shed 5.74 percent to 54.01 rand.

I-Net Bridge